I am really excited to be able to offer H-Wave treatment to my clients. This is something that can be incorporated into treatment sessions. But what is it and what does it do?
H-wave is an electrostimulation device that utilises unique technology to accelerate recovery, restore function, and reduce acute and chronic pain. This is a non-invasive treatment and can be used as a drug alternative to manage pain and improve function. Horses tolerate this treatment very well and often quite enjoy it, but just to be on the safe side, this treatment is introduced to the horse at a pace that suits them and can be removed quickly if needs be.
So how does it work?
In short, an electrical signal is sent to the muscles that mimics that naturally found in the body. This causes the muscles to contract and relax at a rhymical pace and in doing so creates a natural pump that increases blood flow bringing vital nutrients to the muscles. This also aids in removing any toxic waste from the muscles such as inflammatory agents that could cause damage to the muscles. It also blocks pain signals from being sent and helps to loosen off areas that are restricted or tight as well as releasing endorphins (or happy hormones).
Does it hurt?
No, unlike other machines such as TENs machines, H-wave does not produce any unpleasant sensations, I even tested this on myself!
H-wave has been used for many years in the human field and has shown effective at treating:
· Chronic pain
· Acute pain
· Soft tissue injuries and inflammation
· Muscle spasms
· Decreased range of motion
· Muscle atrophy
· Decreased circulation
Due to its many benefits, H-wave can be incorporated into different rehabilitation plans with no side effects. I have used H-wave to treat many conditions including:
· SI (sacroiliac joint) dysfunction
· Lumbar back pain causing horses to be ‘cold backed’
· Restricted muscles
· Improving range of motion
· Tying up
· Treating muscle spasm and trigger points
· Encouraging hind-end engagement
What happens during treatment?
As horses have a coat, we use a conductive gel much like if you were to have an ultrasound scan. This helps to provide a good connection with the muscles. This gel is water-based and suitable for even sensitive skin and will be easy to brush off when dry. Once the gel has been applied, I will position 2-4 electrodes onto the middle of the muscle and slowly increase the intensity of the machine to a level that suits your horse. You will begin to see the horse’s muscles contracting and they may even start to rock with it! Treatment usually lasts 10-20 minutes depending on the horse. I suggest that you do not ride your horse on the same day as treatment, but instead let them have so time in the field to stretch themselves off or take them for a short hand graze if they are on box rest.
If you have any more questions on H-wave therapy, please do get in touch. If not, enjoy the pictures and videos below of a few horses enjoying their very first H-wave treatment.
During the treatment session, you can see that the muscles are contracting and relaxing causing this bouncing movement. The video below shows this horses first session and he settled into it well. You can see from the photo above that he had a steep pelvic angle with pain in the sacroiliac joint, but after a 20 minutes session, the angle had reduced and tension across the back had begun to melt away.