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The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice2010; 26(3); 467-480; doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2010.07.008

Pain: mechanisms and management in horses.

Abstract: Pain is a multidimensional sensory phenomenon that has evolved as a protective method for maintaining homeostasis and facilitating tissue repair. Both excitatory and inhibitory physiologic and pathologic mechanisms are involved in its generation and maintenance. Untreated pain and nervous system changes (plasticity) that occur during chronic pain make pain much more difficult or impossible to effectively treat. Therapies directed toward the treatment of pain should be mechanism based and preventative whenever possible. Prospective, randomized clinical trials conducted in horses that suffer from naturally occurring pain will help to determine the current best approaches to effective pain therapy.
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2010-11-09 PubMed ID: 21056294DOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2010.07.008Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article summarizes the study on pain mechanisms and management strategies in horses, emphasizing that untreated pain and consequent changes in the nervous system can lead to chronic pain that can be extremely hard to treat.

Understanding Pain in Horses

  • The study aims to delve into the complex nature of pain in horses. Pain is described as a multidimensional sensory phenomenon that serves as a protective mechanism to preserve internal equilibrium (homeostasis) and aid tissue repair.
  • Pain mechanisms incorporate both excitatory and inhibitory physiological responses, including certain pathological conditions. These mechanisms contribute to the generation and sustained experience of pain.

Consequences of Untreated Pain

  • The authors underscore the severe implications of untreated pain. Changes in the nervous system, a process referred to as ‘plasticity,’ occur during chronic pain stages, making the pain increasingly challenging or potentially impossible to treat effectively.

Approach to Pain Management

  • The study emphasizes that therapeutic strategies aimed at managing pain should be directed by the understanding of the pain mechanisms and should be preventive whenever feasible.

Need for Further Research

  • The authors argue for the need of prospective, randomized clinical trials involving horses suffering from naturally occurring pain. Such research would help determine the most effective strategies for pain management in horses currently.
  • Such well-structured studies would contribute significantly to enhancing our understanding of pain mechanisms in horses and shaping more effective pain therapy regimes.

Cite This Article

APA
Muir WW. (2010). Pain: mechanisms and management in horses. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 26(3), 467-480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2010.07.008

Publication

The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice
ISSN: 1558-4224
NlmUniqueID: 8511904
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 26
Issue: 3
Pages: 467-480

Researcher Affiliations

Muir, William W
  • Equine Anesthesia and Analgesia Consulting Services, 338 West 7th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. bill.muir@amcny.org

MeSH Terms

  • Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists / therapeutic use
  • Analgesics / therapeutic use
  • Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
  • Complementary Therapies / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horse Diseases / therapy
  • Horses
  • Pain / physiopathology
  • Pain / veterinary
  • Pain Management
  • Pain Measurement / veterinary
  • Veterinary Drugs / therapeutic use

Citations

This article has been cited 11 times.
  1. Jonovski JC, Bacon EK, Velie BD. Towards precision pain management in veterinary practice: opportunities and barriers. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1658765.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1658765pubmed: 40895793google scholar: lookup
  2. Blum S, Gisler J, Dalla Costa E, Montavon S, Spadavecchia C. Investigating conditioned pain modulation in horses: can the lip-twitch be used as a conditioning stimulus?. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1463688.
    doi: 10.3389/fpain.2024.1463688pubmed: 39512387google scholar: lookup
  3. Gutiérrez Bautista ÁJ, Söbbeler FJ, Koch R, Viscasillas J, Kästner S. Assessment of an Ultrasound-Guided Rectus Sheath Block in Foals: A Cadaveric Study. Animals (Basel) 2023 Nov 21;13(23).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13233600pubmed: 38066951google scholar: lookup
  4. Whittaker AL, Muns R, Wang D, Martínez-Burnes J, Hernández-Ávalos I, Casas-Alvarado A, Domínguez-Oliva A, Mota-Rojas D. Assessment of Pain and Inflammation in Domestic Animals Using Infrared Thermography: A Narrative Review. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jun 22;13(13).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13132065pubmed: 37443863google scholar: lookup
  5. Mercer MA, Davis JL, McKenzie HC. The Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutic Evaluation of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Adult Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 May 10;13(10).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13101597pubmed: 37238029google scholar: lookup
  6. McAndrews A, Zarucco L, Hopster K, Stefanovski D, Foster D, Driessen B. Evaluation of Three Methods of Sensory Function Testing for the Assessment of Successful Maxillary Nerve Blockade in Horses. J Vet Dent 2025 Jan;42(1):48-54.
    doi: 10.1177/08987564231164769pubmed: 37013274google scholar: lookup
  7. Baccarin RYA, Seidel SRT, Michelacci YM, Tokawa PKA, Oliveira TM. Osteoarthritis: a common disease that should be avoided in the athletic horse's life. Anim Front 2022 Jun;12(3):25-36.
    doi: 10.1093/af/vfac026pubmed: 35711506google scholar: lookup
  8. Hernández-Avalos I, Mota-Rojas D, Mendoza-Flores JE, Casas-Alvarado A, Flores-Padilla K, Miranda-Cortes AE, Torres-Bernal F, Gómez-Prado J, Mora-Medina P. Nociceptive pain and anxiety in equines: Physiological and behavioral alterations. Vet World 2021 Nov;14(11):2984-2995.
    doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.2984-2995pubmed: 35017848google scholar: lookup
  9. Lencioni GC, de Sousa RV, de Souza Sardinha EJ, Corrêa RR, Zanella AJ. Pain assessment in horses using automatic facial expression recognition through deep learning-based modeling. PLoS One 2021;16(10):e0258672.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258672pubmed: 34665834google scholar: lookup
  10. Haussler KK. Pressure Algometry for the Detection of Mechanical Nociceptive Thresholds in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 24;10(12).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10122195pubmed: 33255216google scholar: lookup
  11. Conde Ruiz C, Cruz Benedetti IC, Guillebert I, Portier KG. Effect of Pre- and Postoperative Phenylbutazone and Morphine Administration on the Breathing Response to Skin Incision, Recovery Quality, Behavior, and Cardiorespiratory Variables in Horses Undergoing Fetlock Arthroscopy: A Pilot Study. Front Vet Sci 2015;2:58.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2015.00058pubmed: 26664985google scholar: lookup
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