Laser Therapy

Stable Hands is now ready to start incorporating laser therapy into your horse's health and wellness regime!

Some of you might not be familiar with low level laser therapy (LLLT) so I thought I would share some of my experiences with it here in my blog.

LLLT is a drug-free form of treatment that is painless, non-invasive and sterile for the patient. It can be used to treat a broad spectrum of conditions such as wounds, fractures, pain syndromes, neurological syndromes or other injuries. Laser therapy is the treatment of choice for pain relief especially if a speedy recovery is required. 

Laser therapy studies have shown that LLLT can heal injuries up to 60% faster than other modalities and is much more cost effective! Laser therapy has been used in the medical profession for over 25 years and still there are no reported long-term or irreversible side effects!

Now you're probably wondering how a laser really works...

Low level lasers use non-thermal light photons to supply the body with energy. The light is transmitted through each layer of skin in order to optimize the immune response within the blood. This causes anti-inflammatory and immunostimulate effects. When the light is transmitted into the blood, it also supplies it with vital oxygen and energy that positively affects every cell within the blood as well as other body systems! Once delivered, the energy increases the cellular metabolism and accelerates cell repair.

So what does that really mean for your horse's body?

• Improved metabolism
• Improved blood circulation 
• Decrease in recovery time due to cell stimulation
• Decrease in inflammation and/or edema

And why would you want to use laser treatment on your horse?

• Reduction/elimination of inflammation or edema
• Fast wound healing
• Relief of acute and chronic pain
• Stimulation of the immune system
• Increased quality of wound healing
• Increase in blood supply
• Stimulation of nerve function
• Development of muscle tissue and collagen
• Promote growth of healthy tissues

If your horse suffers from one or more of the following, consult with your veterinarian about exploring laser therapy as a form of treatment:

• Arthritis
• Neuritis/Neuralgia
• Cold back (back pain)
• Lumbar myositis
• Bursitis
• Carpal Canal syndrome
• Carpitis
• Meniscal tears
• Myalgia/Muscle spasms
• Post-Operative pain
• Sprains/Strains
• Swelling/Inflammation/Edema
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD)
• Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis/Desmitis
• Trigger point pain
• Surface wounds

I hope you all found this to be an interesting and helpful read!

Happy trails,

Kaitlyn

Stretching 101

Hey guys!

I wanted to talk a bit about an important aspect of your horse's exercise regime, stretching. 

Stretching is taking a muscle or muscle group beyond its resting length to its outer range of pain free motion.  A stretch is often held in place to allow the muscle fibres to adjust to this new length in order to release tension, prevent chronic shortening or adhesion formation, and promote proper fibre alignment.

Stretching is a wonderful tool in maintaining muscle and joint health. It also has a wide variety of other benefits such as decreasing recovery time after injury, promoting symmetry within the body and maintaining and improving mobility and flexibility. In addition, when stretching is used in combination with a warm-up before exercise, it helps to prevent injury and enhance performance. In contrast, when used in combination with a cool-down after exercise stretching helps to reduce the effects of muscle strain and realign fibres that may have undergone some micro-tearing. As if that weren't enough, stretching is also an invaluable bonding tool for horse and handler!

Of course since there are so many benefits of stretching, many owners, trainers and handlers have taken to stretching their own horses. Most REMT's will tell you this is a wonderful idea! However, there are some risks and misconceptions that you should be aware of to ensure the safety of yourself and your horse! 

Here are some things you should know:

• If done incorrectly muscle fibres can tear and further injury and recovery times or adversely affect joints
• Poor stretching can exacerbate conditions if proper precautions are not taken
• Muscles need to be properly warmed up before attempting to stretch
• Stretches should be held for roughly 20-30 seconds
• Caution needs to be taken when stretching a horse with arthritis/degenerative joint disease, consult your veterinarian

Lastly, for those who are new to stretching here are some DOs and DON'Ts to consider:

• DO stretch before exercise (after warm up) and after exercise (before cool down)
• DO make sure your horse's muscles are sufficiently warm prior to stretching
• DO have your horse in cross ties and/or have a handler present
• DO allow the horse to stabilize themselves when a limb is picked up
• DO keep all joints in anatomical alignment during a stretch to prevent undue stress
• DO keep your body in a safe posture with your head up and your base wide
• DO use treats to encourage active free stretching of the head or neck
• DO end a stretch on your terms if you can help it (DON'T allow the horse to overrule you, this quickly becomes a safety hazard) 
• DON'T stretch the horse on slippery or uneven footing
• DON'T grasp tendons during a stretch, always support the joints
• DON'T stretch in a cramped or cluttered area
• DON'T stretch a horse with any kind of systemic infection
• DON'T stretch any areas of acute injury, consult your vet

Always ask your REMT if there are any stretches you can learn or practice and incorporate into your horse's workout regime!

That's it for now, I hope you all found this helpful

Happy trails,

Kaitlyn 

The Many Benefits of Massage

The definition of massage is the assessment of the soft tissues and joints of the body and the treatment or prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissues and joints by manipulation to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment physical function and or relieve pain. What a mouth full! 

The amazing thing about massage is that almost anyone can take something positive out of the experience. Thats right, massage is truely an experience. Massage is not just 

meant to relax muscles as some people might think. fascinatingly enough, nearly every bodily system you have benefits from massage in one or more ways!

Let's explore that...

Take the skeletal system for example

Massage therapy improves the blood supply to joints and promotes range of motion for joint related cartilage. Massage can increase circulatory efficiency which means faster bone healing. It also increases erythrocyte production and osteoblastic activity. 

                                                     How about the circulatory system?

Massage increases venous and lymphatic flow which indirectly assists arterial flow as well. Massage also generates a histamine reaction  which causes increased drainage and tissue perfusion. Using hydrotherapy in conjunction helps with smooth muscle tone inside the arteriole and venule walls. Massage is a wonderful tool for reducing blood pressure caused by general relaxation and increased blood flow to peripheral tissues. Did you know massage therapy can strengthen your horse's heart? By creating a parasympathetic response, massage slows and strengthens the heart beat making the heart more efficient.

Let's talk about the respiratory system

Massage loosens mucus from the respiratory tract and promotes expectoration. Massage also dilates the bronchial tubes by stimulating the body's sympathetic response. Massage can reduce signs of respiratory tract diseases and can diminish trigger points of the diaphragm. It can even produce deeper breathing, making the lungs more efficient.

That was just to name a few of the bodily systems, but we haven't even discussed the most influenced one...the muscular system.

Although massage therapy affects every system of the body in some way, it has it's most prominent effects on the muscular system. Massage relieves pain from spasms, immobility, and edema while also producing even and healthy muscular tone. Massage encourages stretching which helps to elongate the muscle fibres. Massage eliminates trigger points which are a main cause of pain and unease for horses and people alike. Massage also improves posture by balancing the body.

As you can see, massage has a wide spread of benefits that would suit almost anyone.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!

Happy trails,

Kaitlyn