Equine Rehabilitation: A Review of Trunk and Hind Limb Muscle Activity and Exercise Selection

The Effect of Ground Poles and Elastic Resistance Bands on Longissimus Dorsi and Rectus Abdominus Muscle Activity During Equine Walk and Trot

“…This increase in maximum low pass value was not seen with ground poles at a trot. Previous reports have documented a linear increase in LD activity with speed, to oppose inertial forces of the visceral mass which increase with speed [13]. Therefore, it is possible that the absence of a significant increase in peak low pass sEMG activity of the LD at a trot over poles may have been related to the relative increase in baseline peak sEMG activity at a trot without poles.…”

“…In this study, the LD muscle was examined given its role as one of the major spinal stabilizing muscles in horses with reported functions of spinal extension and providing lateral stability [6, [13][14][15][16][17]. When walking over ground poles compared to without, there was a significant increase in the maximum low pass value in both left and right LD muscles correlating to larger peaks of activation.…”

“…Posture is influenced by many factors including conformation, body condition, muscle development, muscle hypertonicity, and muscle atrophy [1]. Spinal positioning and posture control are influenced by several muscle groups including the; abdominal core muscles, hindquarter muscles, epaxial, and hypaxial muscles, which have been shown to play a significant role in movement and stabilization of the spine throughout the gait cycle [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The muscles investigated in this study were the longissimus dorsi (LD) and rectus abdominus (RA) given their contributions to core and postural stability.…”

“…Horses additionally were taken over the ground poles with the presence of the resistance bands, with statistical analysis investigating for an interaction between the poles and resistance bands to determine if the effect of one independent variable "depended on" or "influenced" the other. The specific muscles selected were based on their functions related to posture control [12][13][25][26]33]. Earlier research has demonstrated the activity of these muscles during locomotion at a walk and trot, without the presence of therapeutic intervention [14][15][16][17][18].…”

The development of safe and effective rehabilitation protocols for horses

“…Flexibility and joint range of motion can be readily assessed using goniometers to measure joint angles or baited stretches to assess both the quantity (range of motion) and the quality (ease and freedom of movement) of spinal motions (Liljebrink and Bergh 2010; Adair et al 2016). Lameness is commonly assessed with visual observation, but can also be evaluated with motion capture systems, force platforms, inertial sensors and electromyography; however, the cost and time required for this type of assessment is prohibitive in most rehabilitation settings (Tabor and Williams 2018). Video‐based software programs and pressure mat sensors are now available that are user‐friendly and can capture the basic movement patterns of most gaits (Murray et al 2013).…”