Respond neck attachment for horse with ECVM and 30% stenosis

[SBrentnall]

My horse was diagnosed last year and is doing really well. But given his neck issues, I’m wondering if the neck attachment for my Respond blanket might be worth buying, or if it will cause him discomfort, excess tingling, etc.

Has anyone tried it on a horse with similar neck issues?

[IPEsq]

I don’t think the Respond PEMF is too strong to cause harm. I have seen high powered PEMF be used inappropriately on a horse with neck issues (previous fracture resulting in arthritis and eventual instability/compression). In that case tbe practitioner turned the machine up much too high in my opinion. Some people think lots of twitching is better. I think it made the horse’s symptoms worse. I rented the Respond Systems neck at one point and it is not that strong so I’d put it in more of the might help, unlikely to hurt category. I think a lot of horses like PEMF generally (mine do).

[RAyers]

What is causing the stenosis? Disk? Osteophyte? Is it central canal or root? Anterior or posterior?

The reality in human spine is there is no cure for stenosis other than time to resorb the impinging disk or getting the nerves roots to move within the compressed section. The next steps are decompression. PEMF and all sorts of other treatments have never been shown to be effective in treating spine stenosis.

[SBrentnall]

He has ECVM. Exact myelogram finding re/ the stenosis is:

• Neutral position: no abnormalities are identified.
• Flexed position: At C4-5 there is approximately 30% narrowing of the total dural diameter with mild dorsal protrusion of the intervertebral disc.
• Extended position: No abnormalities are identified.

Overall impressions:

• Multiple sites of mild articular process abnormalities are present including mild osteoarthritis, mild asymmetry and mild articular surface contour abnormalities. These abnormalities involved C2-3, C3-4, C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7.
• Unilateral (left) transposition of the ventral tubercle from C6C7. Asymmetry of the C7 for vertebral body.

Cervical spine myelogram:

• SKULL-C2: No abnormalities are identified.
• C2-3: Mild periarticular osteophyte formation is present on the articular processes.
• C3-4: The articular processes are mildly misshapen with mild periarticular osteophyte formation and marginal lipping on the caudal articular processes of C3.
• C4-5: The articular processes are mildly enlarged with mildly undulating articular surfaces. Mild periarticular osteophyte formation is present on the margins.
• C5-6: The articular processes are mildly asymmetric with the left side being larger than the right. The left side has mild-to-moderate lateral osteophyte formation.
• C6-7: The articular processes are mildly enlarged with mildly undulating articular surfaces. Mild periarticular osteophyte formation is present on the margins. There is transposition of the left ventral tubercle from C6 to C7.

[SBrentnall]

My guy likes it, but I haven’t tried it on his neck yet. Good point about the frequency chosen - I’ll lower it when using the neck attachment.

[RAyers]

So it is a bulging disk with facet joint arthritis. The big thing is letting the disk resorb over time. In our human patients we tell them to keep moving (walking, nothing strenuous) and to keep the nerves moving through the foreamen. In time the pain resolves on its own with activity but that can be between 6-24 months. There is no standard course of recovery.

I’m not sure what you hope from PEMF? Is the horse neuro, lacking coordination (which goes more to the stenosis) or simply painful?

I present this not as a critique or attempt to influence treatment but to help you temper expectations and timelines.

[Giddyin]

My gelding had extremely bad ECVM in C5-C6. He was laid to rest in May earlier this year at 6 years old. He was only comfortable wearing high neck blankets. If he hadn’t of passed this year I was going to try Kentucky Horsewear’s product they call a “bib”. It’s essentially a soft pillow that you stick between the withers and the blanket to take the pressure off the lower neck and withers. I had a feeling it would of worked well for him so I thought I would mention it, might be worth looking into!

[SBrentnall]

I appreciate the feedback.

He was neuro last year but has not had symptoms since then. He’s been back in full work for a few months now, and is working at about 3rd level.

PEMF helps him loosen up more quickly when we work, and since he has some stiffness in his neck when we begin each ride, I thought it might relieve some of that stiffness. Plus he seems to enjoy PEMF - lots of droopy lip

[SBrentnall]

Thank you - I’ll look into that.

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

A friend does this with a no bow pillow wrap! Fold in half, tuck around blanket at the wither to provide a bit more cushion.