Medical acupuncture for equine laminitis

Take-Home Message

Acupuncture is a safe and effective adjunctive therapy for acute and chronic laminitis. Acupuncture can also be beneficial when included in standard laminitis prevention protocols in at-risk hospitalized patients.

Acupuncture Effects

Acupuncture has regulating influences on multiple organs and tissues, including those commonly involved in laminitis such as the musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and immune systems. The effect varies with needle point location. A few of the most well-documented effects include generalized homeostatic influences, such as normalizing gastrointestinal motility, and regional influences on specific tissues, such as blood flow changes and release of muscle spasms.

Mechanisms of action

Neuromodulation is involved in many of acupuncture's effects. Acupuncture works on multiple physiologic pathways and processes at local, segmental, and suprasegmental levels simultaneously. Mechanisms include mechanoreceptor activation, vasoregulatory modulation, and neural signaling influences at multiple levels of the nervous system. Endocrine and immune regulation is associated with activation of different regions of the brain that can be influenced by specific acupuncture needle placement

Clinical Applications in Laminitis

Although there is not yet clinical research on acupuncture for the treatment of equine laminitis, sufficient evidence of its general effects in veterinary patients supports its use in laminitis. Two well-researched, evidence-based applications of acupuncture include the treatment of pain and inflammation, making it nicely suited for treating foot and body pain as well as comorbid conditions in laminitis patients. Acupuncture can reduce nociceptive as well as neuropathic pain. In chronic

Acute vs. chronic laminitis

There is no textbook point formulation that will work in all cases. However, there are some generalizations that are clinically useful. In both acute and chronic cases, there can be value to using classic acupoints around the hoof, in addition to other anatomic points on the limb that may not necessarily appear in textbooks. In chronic cases, there has often been significant damage to the musculoskeletal system as a whole, with neuropathic pain being involved beyond the foot.

In complicated

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Acupuncture can be used in conjunction with standard protocols, both medical and surgical. The safety profile and lack of contraindications make acupuncture worth trying in all laminitis patients. Like any clinical method, it does not work 100% of the time. Initial response generally is seen within the first 2 or 3 treatments, making the cost of a therapeutic trial within reach for many horse owners.

Veterinarians know the necessary anatomy and physiology to begin adding acupuncture to their