Before you jump into a treatment routine to help your horse overcome his shoulder pain, it’s important to understand what’s causing the pain, and what type of injury it could be. Then, along with regular therapy, there are several other natural methods you can try.
How to Accurately Diagnose Shoulder Pain in a Horse
Shoulder pain in horses is often misdiagnosed as such due to the similarity of symptoms. For example, severe pain in the foot-pastern-ankle area can be misinterpreted as shoulder pain due to restricted forward leg movement; or rather, a shortening of the stride. In turn, shoulder muscles will tense involuntarily.
Look for these signs of true shoulder pain:
- Swelling of the shoulder joint
- Pain under pressure on the shoulder area
- The horse swings his leg in an arc rather than straight up and forwards
- Restricted leg movement and unfinished strides
Types of Shoulder Pain in a Horse
Shoulder dysplasia (where the socket is too shallow for the ball of the joint) can lead to dislocations, and arthritis in more severe cases. Arthritis can also develop from bone disease in cases of abnormality between the bone and cartilage. Cysts will form and the cartilage becomes brittle, eventually resulting in arthritis. Soft tissue injury is another common source of pain for horses.
How to Treat Shoulder Pain
Cold and Heat Treatments
Cold packs should only be used in cases of obvious heat and inflammation of the shoulder. They can also be used after exercise. Warm up the area with a heat treatment prior to exercise and periodically throughout the day.
Gentle Stretching
Once the initial inflammatory stage is over, start with a heat treatment and then move on to light stretching exercises. They can also be done as a warm-up before more strenuous exercise is planned.
Leg Saver Ting Point Therapy
Our electro therapy treats inflammation at a cellular level, effectively shortening healing time.
That is one of the most important things to remember: when treating shoulder pain, as with all injuries, it’s important to monitor your horse closely. If you are familiar with what “normal” looks like for them, you will be able to anticipate injury sooner and apply healing methods quicker. If you have any questions regarding how Leg Saver therapy can help treat your horse’s shoulder pain,