Clinical Research Abstracts of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015.
Authors: Langstone J, Ellis J, Cunliffe C
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Langstone, Ellis and Cunliffe used surface electromyography (sEMG) to investigate whether manual chiropractic treatment of the equine cervical spine produces measurable changes in muscle activity, specifically examining the splenius muscle in 14 privately owned horses assigned to either treatment (manual chiropractic following palpation) or control (palpation only) groups. Bilateral sEMG readings were recorded at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 30 minutes later using a four-sensor system positioned on the splenius muscle at consistent anatomical landmarks. The treatment group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in sEMG activity between baseline and 30-minute follow-up (P<0.01), with the right side showing significant changes at both timepoints (P<0.05), whilst the control group showed no comparable effects; notably, 83% of horses presented with atlas rotation and tilt to the right. Although this preliminary study provides objective evidence that manual cervical treatment can reduce measurable muscle tension, the authors appropriately caution that the clinical benefit to individual horses remains undetermined, highlighting the need for larger studies correlating sEMG changes with functional improvements in ridden work or lameness resolution. For equine professionals, sEMG offers a non-invasive tool for quantifying cervical muscle responses to treatment, potentially strengthening evidence-based practice around chiropractic and manual therapy techniques, though practitioners should consider these findings as supporting mechanistic understanding rather than definitive proof of therapeutic efficacy.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •sEMG provides an objective, non-invasive method to quantify cervical muscle activity changes before and after chiropractic treatment
- •Manual chiropractic treatment demonstrates measurable reduction in cervical muscle tension at 30 minutes post-treatment, though clinical benefit to individual horses requires further investigation
- •Right-sided atlas misalignment appears common in this population; consider bilateral assessment when evaluating cervical problems
Key Findings
- •Surface electromyography (sEMG) can non-invasively measure splenius muscle activity in equine cervical spine assessment
- •Manual chiropractic treatment resulted in significant decrease in sEMG activity at 0-30 min (P<0.01) and post-palpation to 30 min (P<0.01) in treatment group only
- •Right-sided sEMG showed significant decrease (P<0.05) following treatment, with 83% of horses demonstrating atlas rotation and tilt to the right
- •Control group (palpation only) showed no significant changes in sEMG activity, confirming treatment effect