The Effect of Core Abdominal Muscle Rehabilitation Exercises on Return to Training and Performance in Horses After Colic Surgery.

This research study investigated the effectiveness of a 4-week core abdominal rehabilitation exercise (CARE) program on the recovery and performance of horses following colic surgery. The results suggested that horses performing the CARE demonstrated a faster return to training and improved performance levels post-surgery, without reported complications.

Understanding the Study

• The study is a retrospective cohort study, meaning it investigated a group of horses who had undergone colic surgery and were observed over time to understand the potential effects of postoperative care.
• The researchers wanted to verify whether a four-week program of core abdominal rehabilitation exercises (CARE) would be safe for the horses and could potentially speed up recovery, allowing the horses to return to training faster and enhance their performance compared to the control group who did not do the exercises after the surgery.

Methodology

• The sample included performance horses who had undergone and recovered from colic surgery performed by the same surgeon and remained alive for at least one year post-surgery between 2008 to 2017.
• Information regarding the horses’ rehabilitation and performance after the surgery was obtained from their respective trainers or owners.
• The horses were then categorized into the group that followed the CORE program and the group that did not (the control group). The data from these two groups were then compared.
• Data collected were analyzed using univariate and multiple regression statistical methods to draw conclusions.

Results and Conclusion

• The study included data from eleven CARE horses and 51 control horses between the ages of three and eighteen years.
• All horses that followed the CARE program successfully completed it without any complications.
• The CARE group returned to work and training faster after surgery. This result was statistically significant with P values of .002 and .0002, respectively.
• Post-surgery performance improved for 81% of CARE horses, dramatically higher than the 7.8% improvement seen in the control group.
• Overall, the study concluded that the core abdominal rehabilitation exercise was safe for horses post-colic surgery and could facilitate faster recovery and improved performance.