Thermographic analysis of chiropractic care on the back health of Mangalarga Marchador horses.

Thermographic analysis was used to study the impact of chiropractic care on the back health of Mangalarga Marchador horses, particularly examining thermal changes caused by saddle-induced stress and the effects of chiropractic treatment.

Research Objectives and Background

• Poor saddle fit can lead to back pain and skin lesions in horses, which necessitates preventive treatments.
• The study aimed to investigate how chiropractic care affects the back health of Mangalarga Marchador horses using infrared thermography.
• Infrared thermography measures temperature changes, which can reflect underlying back stress or injury.
• The focus was on evaluating thermal changes associated with saddle-induced overload before and after exercise, and after chiropractic care.

Methodology

• Subjects: 13 Mangalarga Marchador horses divided into two groups:
  • Control Group (GC): 6 horses without chiropractic intervention.
  • Treatment Group (GT): 7 horses receiving one chiropractic session.
• Exercise Protocol: Each horse underwent a standardized 25-minute exercise session to simulate typical saddle use stress.
• Data Collection: Measurements were taken at five time points:
  • M0: Before exercise (baseline).
  • M1: Immediately after exercise.
  • M2: One hour after exercise.
  • M3: One hour after chiropractic evaluation/treatment.
  • M4: Forty-eight hours post-assessment.
• Saddle thermographic images were taken before (S0) and after (S1) exercise to detect temperature changes indicating pressure points or asymmetries.
• Physiological and environmental conditions were also recorded to control for confounding variables.
• Statistical Analysis: Repeated-measures ANOVA was employed to detect significant differences across groups and time points.

Results

• Clinical Variables:
  • No significant differences were found between the control and treatment groups in physiological or clinical parameters.
• Dorsal Skin Temperatures:
  • Mean dorsal and dorsal-midline temperatures were higher in the treatment group immediately after exercise (M1), suggesting increased thermal response possibly due to exercise-related stress.
  • Both groups showed higher temperatures at baseline (M0) compared to one hour after chiropractic treatment (M3), indicating a general thermal decrease over time.
• Saddle Thermography:
  • Temperature in saddle quadrant 5 increased by approximately 1°C after exercise, suggesting localized pressure and possible overload.
  • 31% of saddle images showed asymmetries and areas of tunnel contact with the horse’s dorsal midline, which could contribute to uneven pressure and potential discomfort or injury.
• Chiropractic Evaluation:
  • Vertebral subluxation complexes, indicating misalignments or dysfunctions, were found in all horses.
  • These subluxations were predominantly located in the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) regions.

Conclusions and Implications

• Infrared thermography effectively detected thermal asymmetries related to saddle fit and pressure points, which are important indicators of horse back health.
• A single chiropractic session did not produce measurable changes in dorsal thermographic patterns within the study’s timeframe.
• Findings highlight the prevalence of vertebral subluxations in horses subjected to standard exercise and saddle use, particularly in regions prone to stress.
• Study limitations include the small sample size and single chiropractic intervention, which could influence the capacity to detect significant treatment effects.
• Future research should incorporate larger groups, multiple chiropractic sessions, and extended monitoring periods to better understand chiropractic care’s role in equine back health.