The effects of chiropractic, massage and phenylbutazone on spinal mechanical nociceptive thresholds in horses without clinical signs.

This research investigated the effects of chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, and phenylbutazone on the spinal mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNTs) in horses without clinical signs of back pain.

Research Objective and Methods

• The objective of this study was to provide an objective measurement of spinal MNTs in horses and to evaluate the effects of three commonly used treatments for back problems in horses – chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, and phenylbutazone.
• The study examined 38 healthy mature horses that did not show any clinical signs of back pain.
• The horses were divided into five groups: three treatment groups that each received either chiropractic, massage, or phenylbutazone treatment, and two control groups that were either ridden (active control) or left in the paddock without being ridden (inactive control).
• The researchers measured the MNTs at seven different sites along the horses’ back before and for seven days after administering the treatments.

Research Findings

• After seven days, chiropractic treatment had increased the MNTs by 27%, massage therapy increased them by 12%, and phenylbutazone increased them by 8%.
• In contrast, the changes in MNTs in the active and inactive control groups were less than 1%.
• These results suggest that chiropractic treatment and massage therapy can increase spinal MNTs in horses, which may be beneficial for treating back issues, even in horses that do not display any clinical signs of back pain.

Implications and Future Research

• The research has demonstrated that pressure algometry, used to measure MNTs, can be an objective tool for assessing the effect of various treatments on horses’ backs.
• The results also provide some support for the use of chiropractic treatment and massage therapy in horses, although further investigation is needed.
• Future studies are recommended to look at the combined effects of different treatments and to examine changes in MNTs over a longer period. The researchers also suggest that future studies should include horses with documented back pain.