IN recent months Horse Sense has covered equine gait analysis and thermography, as both of these diagnostic aids have the ability to improve equine management efficiency. Thermography attempts to detect inflammation in the horse at its earliest stage as inflammation is the main limitation of performance. Gait analysis looks at movement and can enable a more accurate analysis of the horse and rider which can potentially lead to improved outcomes i.e. improved training, earlier lameness detection and more appropriate shoeing interventions.

This week I would like to introduce you to an innovative therapy called Microcurrent, which could be of benefit in the daily management of your horses and in the recovery process of injured horses.

To fully understand how Microcurrent therapy can be of benefit we must first have an understanding of the healing process.

THE HEALING PROCESS

According to Peter H. Lathrop, Ph.D, of Bioelectric Medical Solutions, there are three variables critical to the healing process. These are:

ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

Membrane transport

Protein synthesis

ATP plays a vital role in the movement of metabolic waste (i.e. lactic acid) and metabolites. Large amounts of energy are required for this process.

If this energy is unavailable, metabolic waste builds up in toxic concentrations. An injury or trauma to a muscle decreases ATP and causes spasm, which results in decreased oxygen and nutrients to the cells and the accumulation of metabolic by-products. All of these events are perceived by an individual as pain.

When ATP is replenished in injured tissues, the cell membrane active transport is increased, allowing the flow of nutrients into the cells and the flow of waste materials from the cells. With this process, healthy tissue emerges.

Proteins play an essential role in cellular maintenance, growth, and functioning of the body.

Protein is an essential component for every type of cell in the body, including muscles, bones, organs, tendons, and ligaments. The body is constantly undergoing renewal and repair of tissues.

MICROCURRENT THERAPY

Every minute of every day, billions of cells send and receive signals that influence everything from emotions to biological processes. Cell-to-cell signals take two forms, chemical and electrical. As with any conventional electrical circuit, damage, disease or trauma to a group of cells means that things do not work, or do not work properly.

Uninjured cells will attempt to restore normal function to the damaged tissues by restoring the normal electrical signal. Microcurrent therapy simply restores normal electrical frequencies within the cells, resulting in improvements in pain, inflammation and function.

Re-establishing electrical integrity enables restoration, also, of chemical homeostasis, such that any imbalance appears to re-balance. It’s this which makes Microcurrent therapy so effective at enabling restoration to both physical and psychological ‘normality’.

Professor Gordon Turnbull, FRCP, FRCPsych, a consultant psychiatrist at both the Nightingale and Ridgeway Hospital in England, states that:

There is never a physical trauma without an associated psychological trauma.

To enable the physical healing you must first eliminate all traumas, both the physical and the psychological.

With recharged cellular batteries, the body can take over and perform the healing of which it is capable. The cell can enter its regenerative phase and pain levels are noticeably reduced. Essentially Microcurrent therapy aims to help speed up the healing and recovery process.

One of the reasons micro-current treatment is becoming more widely used is the patient comfort factor.

Microcurrent therapy utilises much lower amperage than other types of electrotherapy, with such low amperages, the horse feels no discomfort and often feels no sensation at all from the treatment.

Microcurrent therapy has been successfully used to treat the following:

  • Broken bones
  • Promote general well-being
  • Reduce and eliminate pain
  • Reduce scar tissue
  • Sacroilliac
  • Sarcoids
  • Swelling, bruising and inflammation

    • ARC EQUINE

    ArcEquine, developed by Ian Thirkell, is one of the few equine Microcurrent technologies on the market that has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Professor Turnbull has collaborated with Ian on the ArcEquine technology.

    Commenting on Microcurrent therapy Professor Turnbull stated that: “I have been aware of Microcurrent treatment for about 15 years. There is no doubt, following extensive research, of the effectiveness of Microcurrent treatment in promoting and accelerating healing of inflammation in body tissues. The initial work revealed that it was effective in accelerating the healing of musculo-skeletal injuries but ongoing research has shown that it is effective in healing inflammatory conditions in all body tissue types.”

    Delivery of the current with the ArcEquine is via a leg strap. On the underside are two press studs to which carbon rubber electrodes are attached. Use of conductive gel on the electrode pads forms the electrical conduit through the hair to the body of the horse.

    The ARC is designed for ‘home use’ such that the horse remains in its home environments, reducing stress. Two different sequences within the Arc complement one another, the first reducing/eliminating trauma (swelling, bruising, inflammation, pain and psychological trauma), enabling the second to take over and establish a regenerative repair.

    These currents enable the Arc to take into account, and to address, both the physical and psychological aspects of trauma. Additionally, it is equally as effective at prevention and maintenance as it is at restoration

    ArcEquine does not interfere with, nor is it interfered with by the majority of other treatment modalities.

    It will complement most veterinary treatments enabling a faster and better result.

    For more photos and case studies, please click here.

    For more information on Microcurrent therapy or ArcEquine, please visit arcequine.com.