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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(20); doi: 10.3390/ani12202845

The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Limb Lameness and Concurrent Axial Skeleton Pain and Dysfunction in Horses.

Abstract: Chiropractic care is a common treatment modality used in equine practice to manage back pain and stiffness but has limited evidence for treating lameness. The objective of this blinded, controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of chiropractic treatment on chronic lameness and concurrent axial skeleton pain and dysfunction. Two groups of horses with multiple limb lameness (polo) or isolated hind limb lameness (Quarter Horses) were enrolled. Outcome measures included subjective and objective measures of lameness, spinal pain and stiffness, epaxial muscle hypertonicity, and mechanical nociceptive thresholds collected on days 0, 14, and 28. Chiropractic treatment was applied on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. No treatment was applied to control horses. Data was analyzed by a mixed model fit separately for each response variable (p < 0.05) and was examined within each group of horses individually. Significant treatment effects were noted in subjective measures of hind limb and whole-body lameness scores and vertebral stiffness. Limited or inconsistent therapeutic effects were noted in objective lameness scores and other measures of axial skeleton pain and dysfunction. The lack of pathoanatomical diagnoses, multilimb lameness, and lack of validated outcome measures likely had negative impacts on the results.
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Publication Date: 2022-10-19 PubMed ID: 36290230PubMed Central: PMC9597761DOI: 10.3390/ani12202845Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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.

This research article evaluates the effects of chiropractic treatment on horses with chronic lameness issues and back pain. The study utilized controlled, blinded clinical trial methods and the results indicated that while there were some measurable positive effects on subjective matters, the findings regarding objective issues were inconsistent.

Research Methodology

  • The study employed a blinded and controlled clinical trial. This means that neither the horses’ handlers nor the researchers knew which animals were receiving treatment and which were not. This approach minimizes the chances of bias influencing the results.
  • The horses were divided into two groups: those with multiple limb lameness (Polo horses) and those with isolated hind limb lameness (Quarter Horses).
  • The effects of chiropractic treatment were evaluated using various measures such as analysis of lameness, level of spinal pain and stiffness, epaxial muscle hypertonicity (abnormal tension of back muscles), and mechanical nociceptive thresholds (detection of pain caused by mechanical pressure or threat).

Treatment Schedule

  • The horses in the treatment group received chiropractic treatment on four different intervals – on days 0, 7, 14, and 21.
  • Control horses did not receive any treatment.
  • The outcome measures were collected on three different time points – days 0, 14, and 28.

Results

  • Results showed that the chiropractic treatment had several significant effects, notably on subjective measures such as hind limb and whole-body lameness scores and vertebral stiffness.
  • However, the results were inconsistent when it came to objective lameness scores and other measures of axial skeleton pain and dysfunction.

Limitations

  • The lack of pathoanatomical diagnoses was mentioned as a significant limitation. This means no detailed diagnosis was given regarding the exact anatomical location and nature of the horses’ conditions which could have affected the interpretation of results.
  • The presence of multilimb lameness in some of the horses likely complicated the assessment of the chiropractic treatment’s effectiveness.
  • There was also a lack of validated outcome measures which could have impacted the results.

In summary, the study suggests that chiropractic treatment may be beneficial for managing some aspects of lameness and back dysfunction in horses but more research is needed, and it emphasizes the need for validated, reliable outcome measures in this area.

Cite This Article

APA
Maldonado MD, Parkinson SD, Story MR, Haussler KK. (2022). The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Limb Lameness and Concurrent Axial Skeleton Pain and Dysfunction in Horses. Animals (Basel), 12(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202845

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 20

Researcher Affiliations

Maldonado, Mikaela D
  • Equine Orthopaedic Research Center, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Parkinson, Samantha D
  • Department of Veterinary Preventative Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Story, Melinda R
  • Equine Orthopaedic Research Center, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Haussler, Kevin K
  • Equine Orthopaedic Research Center, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.

Grant Funding

  • na / This research was funded by the Colorado Racing Commission Funds and the Young Investigator Award Program in the Center for Companion Animal Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Pécresse B, Moiroud C, Hanne-Poujade S, Hatrisse C, De Azevedo E, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Audigié F, Chateau H. Group and Individual Changes in Spinal Mobility During a 12-Week Rehabilitation Program Including Swimming in Horses with Axial Musculoskeletal Lesions. Animals (Basel) 2025 Dec 30;16(1).
    doi: 10.3390/ani16010103pubmed: 41514790google scholar: lookup
  2. Patricio CR, Winter GHZ, Garbade P. Spinal articular dysfunction is common in athletic horses. Equine Vet J 2025 Sep;57(5):1357-1362.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14541pubmed: 40452204google scholar: lookup
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