Circulatory disorders in horses – a practical example of complementary laser therapy

Thermography revealed a drastic temperature difference between the show jumping horse’s forelegs . Significantly less heat radiation emanated from the right foreleg, suggesting a possible circulatory abnormality. The muscle tissue of the affected limb was clearly severely undersupplied with blood.

In the search for the cause, a pulse control (RAC) test was also performed, which revealed indications of disturbances in the animal’s neck and pelvic region. It was decided to use the pulsed diode therapy laser non-invasively, similar to laser acupuncture, as a complementary treatment. The laser therapy was further supported by osteopathic and physiotherapeutic measures .

In this particular case, a change in symptoms was observed after two days , and after one week the horse no longer stumbled during training. Further progress was documented by additional thermographic imaging. After two weeks, the thermographic image of the right foreleg showed a thermal pattern comparable to that of the left side.

This case demonstrates how pulsed diode therapy lasers can be used as a complementary measure alongside established methods such as physiotherapy. There is no scientific evidence that laser therapy contributes to the elimination of circulatory disorders; the described course of treatment is a single case and not a general statement about its effectiveness. The application is generally well tolerated and considered non-stressful for the animal.

Note: This is a description of a single case study documented by us. Individual cases are not representative of other animals and do not allow for conclusions to be drawn about the general, scientifically proven effectiveness of laser therapy. The described application does not replace veterinary diagnosis or treatment.

fig 1: Frontal thermal image: There is a clear temperature difference between the right and left front leg

fig 2: Thermal image from the side. Here, too, a heat difference is visible.

Fig. 3: Control image from this individual case, approximately 1 week after application: In the thermal image, no clear difference between the two legs is visible anymore.

Fig. 4: Control image from this individual case, second perspective: Here too, no clear difference is discernible.