Ion Transfer as a Co-Adjuvant to Acupuncture for Treatment of Inflammatory Injuries in Horses

Equine spinal lesions are a commonoccurrence. These lesions are often caused by excessive use of certain spinalregions resulting in tissue injury that releases K+, Na+, and Ca++ ions, inaddition to allogenic substances that are present during inflammation. Severaltherapies are available for treating spinal lesions, including acupuncturewhich has been highlighted as a safe and positive technique. Of the techniquesdeveloped in Japan, ionic pumping may be a suitable co-adjuvant to the dryneedling technique, offering the benefit of being less invasive. The purpose ofthis study was to evaluate the action of dry acupuncture and ionic pumping bydiode wire in horses with vertebral column inflammation. Twenty-three sportshorses with inflammatory changes in the thoracic spine region were evaluated.This study confirmed  that both  the ionic pumping technique by diode wire aswell as dry needling were adequate in regulating the homeostasis of the studiedregion. After one week of  dryacupuncture  (p=0.0006) and  ionic pumping, the local temperature of theinjury reduced significantly, allowing the inflammatory state to subside frommoderate to mild to absent (p=0.001).