EQUINE PHYSICAL REHABILITATION SERVICES

How can Equine Rehabilitation Services ( E.R.S.) can help my horse heal better and faster?

E.R.S. is dedicated to providing you and your horse the most up to date treatment, based on your horse's needs. Below is a list of services E.R.S can provide for you and your horse to enhance healing and promote a faster recovery from illness and injury.

It is skill and knowledge base, combined with experience, complimented by the use of modalities, that make physical therapy a profession of excellence when caring for your horse’s rehabilitation. The combined use of a variety of manual techniques, modalities and prescribed exercises, along with owner education, enhances the healing process to return the horse to functional work, faster than “stall rest” alone.Knowledge of equine physiology and anatomy, along with skilled manual techniques of treatment are the most valuable resources physical therapy (PT) can offer. Modalities (as listed below) are often adjunct to compliment the treatment, such as the use of ultrasound to heat deeper tissues prior to stretching. PT treatments seldom focus on the use of just one modality with out the skill of manual therapy and specific exercises to follow.

MODALITIES

Heat Therapy: increases circulation, promotes healing, produces relaxation, warms specific tissues and stiff joints in preparation for stretching and exercise, and reduces pain and muscle spasm.

Electrical Stimulation (E-stim): is a modality widely used for a multitude of remedy applications, from relieving pain to stimulating muscles, by the use of electrodes applied to the skin that deliver low-voltage stimulation to nerves in the skin and muscles below. Electrical stimulation ( E-Stim) is non-invasive and non-addictive. It does not have side effects and can be used to treat acute and chronic conditions. For pain relief it is an excellent alternative to medication. It is an excellent approach to retraining denervated muscles, preventing atrophy, and can assist strengthening of weak muscles. In addition it can provide microvascular perfusion in the stimulated tissue and can often provide an overall relaxation affect on the horse during treatment.

This horse is recovering from a fractured femur. The use of TENS decreases
pain perception during rehab.

Cold Therapy: decreases metabolic rate, reduces inflammation by vasoconstriction, decreases pain by decreasing nerve conduction.

Low Level Light LASER: accelerates tissue healing by increasing vascularity and nitric oxide to the healing tissue (greater blood supply brings more oxygenated blood to the healing tissues), raises endorphin levels to decrease pain, stimulates the production of collagen tissue, and increases lymphatic activity.

Jennifer Brooks PT applying
ultrasound to the poll.

Therapeutic Ultrasound (US): produces thermal and non-thermal effects .Thermal US heats deep target tissues to reduce pain, reduce muscle spasm, joint stiffness and increases tissue extensibility. Non-thermal effects increase collagen production (this is the protein network that rebuilds tissues), promotes the healing process, stimulates blood flow, bone fracture and tendon repair.

How do I get PT for My Horse?

SERVICES

Evaluation of the horse: The first visit of E.R.S. to your barn will always start with an evaluation of your horse. This starts with Jennifer listening to you provide details of the horse’s past history of any injuries or mishaps, along with a current history of the most recent injury, veterinarian interactions, medications and progress. Then Jennifer will start with an overall inspection of how the horse is put together, looking at conformation, area of injury, scraps, bruising or swelling, along with palpating the horse for sensitive areas of warmth, tension or pain responses. Then the examination will progress on to inspection of the musculoskeletal system the head, neck, spine, pelvis and each leg, determining range of motion, flexibility, strength, and function. The last part of the assessment process involves watching the horse move through the gaits in straight lines, in circles and often under saddle if needed. This thorough method of evaluation provides useful information to determine what areas are involved and provides a baseline from which to judge progress. A treatment protocol is then developed from the deficits determined by the evaluation findings.

Leslie Goff at VET PT symposium,
Minneapolis '08 performing
evaluation maneuvers.

Treatment Protocol Development: After the evaluation is completed Jennifer will provide a treatment protocol specific to your horses problem. This may include a variety of modalities ( listed below) manual treatments, and specific exercises. As much as possible Jennifer will instruct the owner with as many as possible things the owner can do themselves to assist in healing of the problem, such as use of cold or heat, and stretching exercises.

Rider Evaluation and Treatment: Often the rider can impose their musculoskeletal dysfunctions on their horse. To totally treat the horse, E.R.S. evaluates the owner/rider for any asymmetries that may contribute to the horse’s problems of locomotion and mobility and then prescribe/provide treatment as necessary.

Specific Exercise Protocols: Exercise increases joint range of motion (ROM), strengthens muscle and tendons, stretches tight structures, develops topline musculature. Proprioceptive neuro-muscular exercises provide increase in coordination, joint response, speed and agility.

Photo of significant right hind gluteal muscle atrophy -
appropriate for specific exercise protocol for strengthening

Wound Debridement: cleans out wound bed of dead tissue, foreign particles and bacteria, promotes new tissue growth.

Bandaging and Compression: the proper bandage keeps a wound void of dirt and disruption from healing and allows topical medications to stay in place. Compression prevents and or minimizes swelling in distal limb, can be used in conjunction with compressive cold applications to further minimize swelling of acute injuries, and prevent the “Proud Flesh” development common in the lower leg.

Massage: increases blood flow to surrounding muscles, decreases muscle spasm, promotes relaxation, and reduces soft tissue constrictions.

Soft tissue Mobilization: similar to massage in that techniques utilize manual pressure to tissues, but more specific to structures other than muscle, such as fascial coverings, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules; used to bring increased blood flow to these healing structures, facilitate proper laying down of collagen (scar tissue) into an organized fashion increasing tissue strength and breaking up of adhesions.

Soft tissue cross-friction mobilization to healing
flexor tendons to prevent adhesion development

Joint Mobilization: this is the practice of skilled manual (hands-on) passive mobilization of the joint surface articulations with in their physiological limits. This helps to regain movement between joint surfaces that may have been lost due to injury or immobilization and adhesion development during the recovery phase of healing. Passive imposed movement promotes the movement of synovial fluid lubrication through out the joint surfaces enhancing nutrition of articular cartilage surfaces. Joint mobilization also stimulates nerve fibers within the joint capsule to lower pain thresholds.

On Site Boarding at Equine Rehab Services, LLC, In Brookline, NH

Aerial view of E.R.S. Farm with green pastures
and grey rectangle 100’ x 150’ riding ring.

On Site Boarding & Rehab: E.R.S. is located in lovely Brookline NH. The 19 acre farm is located just northwest of Lake Potanipo. In the winter, we actually have “lake viewing” through the leafless trees. The 12x12 stalls have direct turnout on to rolling fields. The facility includes a 100 x 150 ft. outdoor ring, 4 acres of green of paddocks, and miles of trails directly accessible from the property. A variety of on-site rehab care can be provided depending on your horses’ needs.

Horses have 24 hour turnout availability
at E.R.S. Boarding facility

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