A Preliminary Study of the Influence of High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Longissimus Dorsi Muscle Tone Changes in Thoroughbred Racehorses with Back Pain.
Authors: Zielińska Paulina, Soroko-Dubrovina Maria, Dudek Krzysztof, Ruzhanova-Gospodinova Iliana Stefanova
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: High-Intensity Laser Therapy for Back Pain in Racehorses Back pain remains a significant clinical problem in Thoroughbred racehorses, yet treatment options with measurable efficacy data remain limited, particularly regarding their efficacy in cases with or without kissing spines syndrome (KSS). Researchers from Poland and Bulgaria treated 20 young racehorses (aged 3–4 years) with clinically evident back pain—ten with radiographically confirmed KSS and ten without—using a single high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) session applied to the longissimus dorsi muscle, measuring skin surface temperature changes via thermography and muscle tone response via palpation before and immediately after treatment. Both groups showed statistically significant improvements: average skin surface temperature increased by 2.5 °C and palpation scores (indicating pain and muscle tension) decreased by 1.5 points (p = 0.005), with no meaningful differences in response between KSS-positive and KSS-negative horses. Notably, the temperature changes did not correlate strongly with pain reduction, suggesting HILT may work through mechanisms beyond simple thermal effects. Whilst these preliminary findings are encouraging for practitioners seeking non-invasive adjunctive therapies, the study's limitations—small sample size, single-session design, and absence of sham-treatment controls—mean that robust clinical recommendations cannot yet be made; larger, longer-term trials with appropriate controls will be essential before HILT can be confidently incorporated into evidence-based back pain management protocols.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •HILT may provide short-term pain relief and muscle relaxation in racehorses with back pain, with measurable thermal and palpation changes occurring after a single treatment
- •Treatment efficacy appears similar regardless of whether Kissing Spines is present, suggesting HILT may address soft tissue pain components independent of structural spinal pathology
- •Results are preliminary; larger studies with placebo controls and longer follow-up are needed before implementing HILT as a standalone back pain protocol in practice
Key Findings
- •HILT produced a significant average increase in skin surface temperature of 2.5°C in both KSS-positive and KSS-negative groups
- •HILT reduced palpation pain scores by an average of 1.5 degrees in both groups (p = 0.005)
- •No significant differences in treatment response were observed between horses with and without KSS
- •Correlation between skin temperature changes and pain reduction was weak and not statistically significant (p > 0.05)