Cold Laser Therapy
What Is It? Can My Horse Benefit?

-By- H. Lynette Partridge-Schneider

There are many different alternative therapies now available to the horse owner. Many of these therapies have been available for over 30 years in the treatment of humans, but are just now becoming more common within the animal world. I first became aware of cold laser treatments for animals about 15 years ago, when I purchased an older mare with knee problems and arthritis. Massage therapy and supplements were already part of her program. A fellow equine massage therapist, who like me had worked in the human medical field, introduced me to his hand-held cold laser. The treatments, added to the program in place, produced results giving my mare greater mobility and freedom from stiffness.

I was sold on cold laser therapy and wanted to learn more. The more I read and the more I worked with the other therapist on cases, the more I knew I wanted to add the cold laser to my equine and canine treatment programs.

Note: Equine Massage and alternative therapies do not intend to diagnose a problem on its own. When working along with your veterinarian many benefits can be obtained.

Veterinarians are becoming more open-minded to the benefits of alternative therapies. Many veterinarians are adding alternative therapists to their staff.

What is Cold Laser Therapy?

The word LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers DO NOT emit X-rays nor do they produce the damage of x-rays. The cold laser is also called soft laser to differentiate from hard lasers that are used in surgical procedures. The cold laser is a light or photon energy with the unique property of being able to penetrate two inches or more below the skin surface causing an increase in cellular metabolism without tissue damage. The cold laser produces healing benefits to treated tissue, without causing or producing heat. Cold laser therapy does not damage cells, but aides in the stimulation of cellular function aiding in healing. Cold laser therapy is safe and has been approved by the FDA.

What are the benefits?

Therapeutic applications which have shown promising results based on studies include:

Arthritis
Acupuncture Points
Back Pain
Enhances Lymphatic Drainage
Releases Tight Muscles
Soft tissue injuries, including sprains and strains, tendonitis and hematomas
Chronic Pain
Nerve Regeneration
Neuropathy Musculoskeletal Pain
Myofascial Pain
Tendonitis
Sports Injuries
Wound Healing (Speeds Healing)
Pain relief as a result of increased endorphin release
Suppression of nociceptor action (pain suppression)
Strengthening the immune system response
Application For Horses

Veterinarians and Equine Practitioners have and continue to utilize low level laser therapy for:

Pain Relief
To Reduce Swelling
Control Inflammation
And Speed Healing

And to treat conditions such as:

Acute Tissue Damage
Arthritis Pain and Inflammation
Back Pain/Lameness
Bone Healing
Burns
Joint Problems (Fetlock, Knee (carpus), Elbow, Hock, Stifle)
Nerve Damage
Swelling
Tendon/Ligament Injury
Family Pets

Cold Laser therapy can benefit the family dog as well. Some studies have been done on cats, and show beneficial results.

Application For Dogs

Veterinarians and Canine Practitioners have and continue to utilize low level laser therapy for:

Superficial ear cuts
Arthritis
Hip And Knee Pain
Hard To Heal Wounds

In my practice, I look at the whole animal. Every part of the body inter-connects with each other. One cannot treat just one part, the whole animal is treated. When doing a treatment, after the initial evaluation, the whole body is worked, making note of any area that is in need of extra attention. The cold laser is added to the treatment program to enhance the benefits of the body work, going deeper than merely my hands can obtain. The cold laser aids in taking a long treatment program and cutting the recovery time in half, benefiting the owner and the horse.

Let me share some cases with you:

Case #1

The first horse I used a cold laser on, outside my own animals since relocating to Illinois, is an older mare approximately 20 years old. The mare had fallen in February and was treated for muscle soreness. She was still having movement issues when I was referred to the owner. The evaluation and conversation with the owner found muscle tightness due to compensating from the fall and arthritis areas along the spine; this being confirmed by the owner’s veterinarian. A full body treatment was given and the owner was shown some exercises to aide in flexing and muscle rehab as well as some simple massage techniques. I believe in involving the owner in the treatment process. Another treatment was scheduled.

A second treatment was given approximately a week later, again working the whole body. The difference in this treatment was the addition of the cold laser, used over the whole body along with the body work. Again, the owner was given exercises and simple massage techniques to be done in between treatments.

The next day the owner called very excited. The mare was moving better than she had in a long time and in some ways better than before the accident/fall. She couldn’t believe the difference after one treatment with the cold laser. There had been some improvement with the first treatment. The addition of the cold laser got deeper into the muscle tissues aiding in the release of the tightness that was present. The owner is a believer in alternative therapies and the benefits it has had on her horse.

Case#2

Another example of the healing assistance that a cold laser can offer is with the case of an older horse with an abscess in a hoof. While dealing with the abscess he tripped and knocked a chunk out of the opposite knee causing pain in both front legs and hampering his ability to walk.

I always want to see if a piece of equipment will live up to all it says it will do. Since I board at the barn where the horse is, I asked the owner if she minded me working on her horse. She knew what I did for a living and was grateful for the offer.

Again, the whole body was treated, not only for the muscle stiffness issues from compensating from the abscess and lameness due to the abscess, but using the addition of the cold laser for the wound issues as well as the muscle ones. Treatments continued on the wounds daily for a week, then bi-weekly. The owner left me a note before the second treatment of the second week, saying how wonderful the horse was doing. That he was almost back to normal and the wound areas were almost healed totally. By the third week, the horse’s wounds were healed. He was walking and trotting again. His attitude was back to normal as was his appetite.

Other Cases:

There are several cases on the race track where the cold laser has assisted in horses returning to their training schedule in a matter of weeks instead of months as before treatments were administered. I have read some studies recently of how the cold laser is being used as a form of warming the muscles before a race and used afterwards to aide in recovery after a hard work-out.

Every case is as different as the individual animal being worked on. Each animal responds differently to therapies or a combination of therapies. Every client is treated as a separate case, treating the horse or dog as a whole, based on the findings of the evaluation and any information the veterinarian and caregiver can share.

To learn more about cold laser treatments and other alternative methods of treatment, contact Lynette at (618)979-3192, email questions to QREquineUnltd@aol.com and check out her website www.quailridgequine.com