Equine Back Pain

In people, bad backs come in a wide variety of colours, shapes, sizes and ages.  They come from a wide variety of causes.

The backs in these human images are a small sample of those we see, and we know in these cases the owners certainly are feeling pain.  Some are unable to work or function properly because of the pain.  Others have learnt to cope with it.  Still others have been told that they have nothing wrong with them.

Whatever the situation, they can, and do, talk about it and this helps us in relating pain to images.

There are still many people who believe horses don’t have back pain.  Maybe, like us, some are just able to cope with it better than others and block it out.

Chicken or Egg?

With horses we often see thermographically that bad backs are related to problems in other areas such as the feet, hocks or shoulder.  Research done in the US found that primary back pain was rare, with the original problem coming from another area and manifesting as back pain.

It is sometimes unclear, however, which came first.  We get regular requests to “just look at a foot”, or a back, or shoulder or stifle or hock or fetlock……  The owners know where the problem is and they are generally right in identifying where the horse is displaying pain but using infrared we often find that the cause is somewhere quite different.

Like us, horses’ back problems come from a myriad of causes. 

Most of the people shown above know the root cause of their back pain.  Their gait is obviously affected and this in turn compounds the issues in their back, but foot trouble was not the initial problem.  

Conversely, there are many people who have a foot or leg issue and this has in turn affected their back.

Hopefully the images on these pages might highlight SOME of the conditions under which horses still manage to operate and often with a rider on their back.

Butterfly Pattern

According to one well known equine therapist, the classic “butterfly” pattern (seen above left) is very common and is symptomatic of long term postural issues.  The horse moves in such a way that normal functions of circulation and lymphatic drainage are impaired.

In 99% of her research and case studies, lymph and blood flow stagnate in the region of the gluteals and upper hamstrings when the horse is compensating for front end injuries (seen here in the wither, shoulder and back under the saddle).

The butterfly pattern is so distinct in this horse that it is very clear also in the images taken from behind the horse and laterally.

Research done in the US by vet Dr Tracey Turner of the University of Minnesota found that the prime site for back issues was the sacroiliac area and that it would show as a cold area as the horse “splinted” or protected that area.

Nerve Root Irritation

This image is one of the clearest we have ever taken of nerve root irritation and shows just how bad a back can be with the horse still trying his hardest to perform.  The owner of this back was one of those “road train” type of thoroughbreds where the front end seemed a long, long way from the rear.  He also lived on a steep hill and had saddle fit issues. He was responding well to hands-on therapy and a change in saddle when we last saw him, about four years ago but I recently heard that he is no longer with us.  Vale brave Marty and thank you for providing us with this great image. We have imaged people with backs half as dramatic thermographically as this, who are on compo.

Hoof as Source of Original Problem?

Maggie, below, was a regular at the therapist’s clinic as her back was always “out”.  Her owner had been assured by many that the scar on her pastern (which more or less follows the sky blue line in the image below right) was not causing any trouble, even though the foot was getting noticeably “clubbier”.   (There was 10°C difference between the heel bulbs of the “clubby” foot.  This is a huge difference and shows a dramatic restriction in circulation).

In fact the owner had been told that Maggie was just having her on and to “ride her through it”.

You will notice that the cannon bone and knee in the leg with the cold foot are much warmer (>2°C in some places) than the other leg. 

You can also see that the diagonal hind foot and fetlock are quite cold.  Both hind legs have distinct cold patterns but the pattern in the near hind is the more definite.  It is a pattern often seen with a compromised spinal nerve.  Did this come about because of the problem in the front foot?

Floating Accidents

Saddle Fit

Influence of the Rider on the Horse's Back

One of the things we hope to do this year is look at the relationship between rider and horse backs.

Every person in the images at the beginning of this section would be adversely influencing their horse’s back as they compensate for their own problems.  How many riders have a perfect, pain free body?

This rider had been in the saddle for just over five minutes and was sure that she was riding totally straight!

Later in the year we hope to undertake a back and saddle fit study which will incorporate not only horse, saddle and saddle pad but also the rider.  A thermographic study undertaken again by Dr Tracey Turner showed that thermographically there was really little change in the horse’s back with just the addition of the saddle.  It was the addition of the rider that made the dramatic changes.