Pinpoint pressure

Acupuncture is today a powerful tool in equine veterinary medicine, and provides a range of physiological benefits. Adam Jackson MRCVS explains

- Adam Jackson

ACUPUNCTURE is a treatment modality that involves inserting thin, sterile, solid needles into specific sites on the horse's body, for therapeutic or preventive purposes.

The procedure activates complex autoregulatory physiological responses within the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous systems and the connective myofascial network, which allows the alleviation of pain and inflammation, and improves local circulation.

This treatment can be used in conjunction with other conventional veterinary practices to treat various equine medical conditions and to relieve pain. It is a safe medical procedure with minimal unwanted side effects when performed by a qualified veterinary surgeon.

Western medical acupuncture is a therapeutic modality based on the principles adapted from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and incorporating the knowledge and understanding of the horse's anatomy and physiology, and of the pathology of a medical condition.

Because of this scientific approach, it is often referred to as "medical acupuncture" and is regarded as conventional medicine rather than alternative medicine.

Research has demonstrated many ways in which acupuncture works, including changes to the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous system, as well as influencing the connective tissue by normalising circulation and tension within the myofascial network.

MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE VS TCM

IN simple terms, TCM is based on the belief that acupuncture restores the flow of qi (also referred to as chi), the body's energy flow, whereas medical acupuncture uses anatomy, physiology and pathology of the patient to alleviate pain, inflammation and muscle tension. In addition, western medical acupuncture is evidenced-based and is administered only after a full diagnosis.