How To Manage Horses With Back Pain
Back pain is an extremely common and performance-limiting problem in horses. | Photo: iStock
Back pain is an extremely common and performance-limiting problem in horses. When managing it, veterinarians have two main goals: stopping the pain and strengthening the horse.

Erin Contino, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVSMR, assistant professor of Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, described treatment strategies and the science behind them during the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held virtually.

Breaking the Pain Cycle

After a veterinarian makes an accurate diagnosis of what’s causing a horse’s back pain—based on history, the physical and clinical exam, and imaging—he or she can choose from a variety of modalities to control it. Contino listed some of the most common:

Focal injections. The main injectables veterinarians use for back pain are corticosteroids. “They’re potent anti-inflammatories, and I find them to be one of most effective ways to get ahead in the game of treating back pain,” said Contino

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