Long-Term and Immediate Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Chronic Lameness in the Horse: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The effects of whole body vibration (WBV) in horses with chronic lameness were evaluated in an experimental, single subject, repeated measure design. To assess the long-term effect of WBV, eight horses not previously exposed to WBV were subject to WBV, 30 minutes twice daily, five days a week, for 60 days in addition to their regular exercise routine. Lameness was assessed subjectively and objectively 30 days before the start, at the start and 30 and 60 days after the start of the treatment (WBV). The immediate effect of WBV was assessed in four horses accustomed to WBV, by comparing lameness before and within 30 minutes of a single 30-minute WBV session at four different time intervals. Change in lameness was sought using paired t tests on the kinematic data. A P-value of <.05 was considered statistically significant. Intraindividual change was sought using a subjective and objective scoring system. No statistically significant change in lameness was seen after 30 or 60 days of WBV, respectively, in the chronically lame horses not previously exposed to WBV. However, a trend toward improvement was observed after the first 30 days of WBV, but this improvement appeared to be lost during the second 30 days of WBV. Although a statistically significant worsening of front limb lameness was seen immediately after a single 30-minute WBV session in the chronically lame horses accustomed to WBV, this result was largely attributed to a very significant worsening of the front limb lameness in one horse within that group.