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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(11); doi: 10.3390/ani10111977

The Effect of a Physiotherapy Intervention on Thoracolumbar Posture in Horses.

Abstract: Dynamic mobilisation exercises (DME) are often used as part of a physiotherapy rehabilitation programme. Whilst immediate kinematic effects have been measured, the change in posture is anecdotally reported to have a longer duration. This study aimed to test the reliability of a simple objective measurement method, suitable for use in clinical practice, and to objectively measure equine thoracolumbar posture, before and after DME. A single investigator took triplicate measurements of the sagittal thoracolumbar shape using a flexicurve ruler (FCR) then triplicate measurements of the thoracolumbar shape using an adapted FCR (aFCR) in 37 horses. Subsequently, the thoracolumbar shape of 12 horses was measured using the aFCR before random allocation into two groups. Six horses acted as a control group and six horses underwent a series of DME, which included cervical flexion and lateral flexion baited stretches. Measurements were repeated prior to DME, at thirty minutes, one hour and at twenty-four hours after DME to assess thoracolumbar posture. The aFCR ruler had excellent intra-rater reliability compared to a standard FCR (aFCR: p = 0.146; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.971; FCR: p = 0.0001; ICC 0.979). Significant increases in flexion occurred in the thoracolumbar region at 30 min (p = 0.027) and one hour (p = 0.046) after DME, but not at 24 h (p > 0.05) with no significant differences in the control group (p > 0.05) between baseline and subsequent times. The results suggest DME create a short-term postural change, determined by using an aFCR, which supports their use as part of a veterinary physiotherapy rehabilitation programme.
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Publication Date: 2020-10-28 PubMed ID: 33126478PubMed Central: PMC7693906DOI: 10.3390/ani10111977Google 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 investigates the effectiveness of a physiotherapy method called Dynamic Mobilisation Exercises (DME) on the thoracolumbar posture of horses. The study employs an objective measurement method to assess the posture before and after DME, highlighting that these exercises cause short-term improvements in posture, making them an integral part of veterinary physiotherapy <a href="/equine-rehabilitation-guide/" title="rehabilitation programmes.

Methodology and Procedures

  • The investigation began with an initial measurement phase, where one investigator took triplicate measurements of a horse’s sagittal thoracolumbar shape using a flexicurve ruler (FCR) and an adapted FCR (aFCR) on 37 horses
  • This objective measurement tool, the aFCR, served to establish a standard and reliable device for assessing the thoracolumbar posture of the horses under study
  • After setting up the measurement tool, the next phase involved monitoring the thoracolumbar shape of 12 horses. This smaller group was then divided into two: one acting as a control group and the other undergoing a series of Dynamic Mobilisation Exercises (DME)
  • These DME involved specific movements, such as cervical flexion and lateral flexion baited stretches.
  • Measurements were taken at different time intervals: before the DME, 30 minutes after, one hour after, and 24 hours after the exercise regime, to evaluate the possible changes in the thoracolumbar posture

Findings and Conclusions

  • In terms of measurement tools, the study found that the aFCR had excellent reliability when compared to the standard FCR, ensuring trustworthiness in the readings
  • Following the intervention, there were significant increases in flexion in the thoracolumbar region at the 30-minute and one-hour intervals after DME, suggesting a short-term postural change
  • However, this change was not observed to persist at the 24-hour mark, indicating that the effects of DME do not result in a long-term impact on the horses’ posture
  • No significant changes were observed in the control group at any of the given time intervals
  • Given these results, the study concludes that DME techniques create a short-term postural change in horses, thus supporting their use as part of veterinary physiotherapy rehabilitation programmes

Cite This Article

APA
Shakeshaft A, Tabor G. (2020). The Effect of a Physiotherapy Intervention on Thoracolumbar Posture in Horses. Animals (Basel), 10(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10111977

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 11

Researcher Affiliations

Shakeshaft, Amy
  • Equine Performance Research Centre, Hartpury University, Gloucester GL19 3BE, UK.
Tabor, Gillian
  • Equine Performance Research Centre, Hartpury University, Gloucester GL19 3BE, UK.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
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