Scientists Work to Measure Equine Back Pain Objectively

Objective measurements can lead to more targeted therapy and provide a basis for comparison as the horse improves.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Your horse’s back hurts, but exactly where and how much? Your veterinarian gets a reaction when she pushes down with two fingers here, your horse flinches when your trainer prods with one finger there, and you feel like his entire back is sensitive.

Austrian scientists say quantifying back pain with objective measurements can lead to more targeted pain-relieving therapy as well as provide a basis for comparison as the horse improves (or worsens). And while this hasn’t been possible in the past, they said they can now gather objective back pain measurements using algometers (pressure measurement devices).

“Algometers allow results of back examinations to be better comparable over different examiners than digital (finger) pressure, and they offer numerical results,” said Theresia Licka, PhD, DVM, Dipl. ACVSMR (Equine), equine orthopedic surgeon and researcher at the University of Veterinary Medicine (UVM) in Vienna, Austria; a member of the university’s Movement Science Group (MSG); and an Honorary Fellow at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, in Scotland.

“We wanted to know how the different areas of the back of the horse are reflected in their sensitivity to algometer pressure, to which depth an algometer actually exerts pressure in the equine back, and which of the different tips of the algometer are most reliable over several horses,” she said

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!