The Underwater Treadmill for Back Pain
Back pain is one of the more common and frustrating causes of poor performance in the horse. Considering we sit on their backs to ride, it is incredibly important to pay attention to back health.
We know that a healthy spine is meant to move at each articulation. Between each vertebra, there should be some degree of motion up and down, side to side, and some degree of rotation or ability to twist. Maintaining motion is key to maintaining comfort. It is the difference between a supple horse that will bend around your leg and jump with scope, and a stiff, reluctant horse that feels like a board to ride.
There is exciting research on the underwater treadmill and how it affects motion through the back! A team of researchers evaluated three types of movement in twelve horses using the underwater treadmill.
The types of movement evaluated included:
Axial rotation (rotational or twisting motion along the spine)
Lateral bending (side to side motion of the spine)
Pelvic flexion (the up and down flexion of the spine)
Horses were exercised in the treadmill four times over a period of 10 days. Movement was assessed at day 1 and day 10 using high speed video. Researchers found that the height of the water greatly affected the type of movement in the back that was observed. Axial rotation was greatest when water height was at the level of the carpus or knee. Lateral bending was greatest at low water levels. Pelvic flexion was greatest as water height increased.
Underwater treadmill exercise should be targeted to the needs of the individual horse. Having a deep understanding of how water height affects movement in the back helps allow us to do this. In some animals, we may want to target specific types of back movement and in other animals, we may want to work each type of movement in a single session.
We have seen firsthand how beneficial underwater treadmill therapy can be for improving topline, strengthening musculature through the back, and improving comfort. It can help in all stages of back discomfort, but as with all therapies, the sooner we begin to address a problem, the better the outcome.