Go With the Flow – Microcurrent Therapy for Powerful Equine Healing, Comfort, Relief and Recovery
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In 2012, something I’d always dreaded – that my best and most treasured equine partner would suffer a serious injury, become reality.
After multiple Vet. visits, an MRI, and many long months, we eventually made it to the side of the recovery roller coaster – in large part because I refused to accept that we wouldn’t make it, but let me tell you it was very touch and go for a while!
After a fair share of worry and doubt, one month from the moment I suddenly had a feeling that “the odds” weren’t going to apply to us (even when things weren’t necessarily looking good) – my barrel horse was SOUND and well on his way to making a comeback.
These days, now that I’m armed not only with an even more firm belief in the power of prayer and positive expetation, but also with valuable scientific insights and modern technology, I’ve chosen microcurrent as the therapy of choice to make sure he (and our other horses) stay that way.
With so many options out there, after much research and now impressive results in a very short period of time I’m especially enthusiastic about microcurrent as being one of the most effective options for supporting my barrel horse’s success in the arena and well-being in general.
Pistol enjoying his first topline session.
Understanding the effectiveness of microcurrent starts with the concept Albert Einstein was one of the first to discover and prove, which is “Everything is energy.” At the most basic level everything is made up of tiny vibrating molecules of electricity.
Wherever there is stress or trauma in the body, there is a disruption to the natural, healthy flow of this energy, otherwise known in the world of Chinese Medicine as “chi,” or life force energy. When this vital flow goes flat, so does the body’s normal ability to regenerate cells and heal itself. This is where pain, inflammation, reduced mobility and other limiting factors enter the picture. Once this cycle starts and other connected bodily functions are affected, it can be challenging to get it corrected.
Even if your horse isn’t noticeably lame or suffering from an obvious injury, equine athlete’s bodies are constantly subject to varying degrees of stress and trauma. Although this can be lessened when we take a mindful, integrated approach to developing our horses – with any high-performance athlete, it’s never completely avoidable, which is why we need advanced therapeutic technologies on our side!
Barrel racer, Certified Equine Massage Therapist, Masterson Method Certified Practitioner, Best-Vet Microcurrent Certified Trainer, and owner-operator of Whole Horse Connection, Christie Hebert states:
“I always tell my students that electricity ALWAYS chooses the path of least resistance. When the body suffers an injury and becomes inflamed, the swelling creates and obstacle for the body’s electricity, (which has also been called Qi, LifeForce, blood flow, etc.) so the electricity “jumps the tracks” and goes around the injury.
This eventually causes a tightening of the tissues (since blood flow, Qi, energy, whatever you want to call it) is restricted from that area. This will always stay this way, unless it is physically manipulated to soften up the lesion. This can be done by massage, but even better yet, electro-massage, aka: microcurrent therapy.
Therapy products on the market today claim to do the same thing – which is to increase blood flow and circulation to the injured area. Some just do a better job at it then others. Microcurrent follows the energy as it gets pushed around and eventually cleared out of the body and it’s frequency and placement can be adjusted vs. forms of ‘stick and on and leave it’ therapy that the body becomes desensitized to.”
As stated in The Science Behind Microcurrent Therapy article by Deborah Powell “Microcurrent (often called MENS) is extremely small pulsating currents of electricity. Microcurrent units produce electrical current just above the levels of the electrical exchanges that occur at a cellular level in the human body. This is why microcurrent is readily accepted by the body’s cells when applied to the body using conductive electrodes.
Craig treating Dot Com’s sore spots with a roller.
The theory behind microcurrent therapy is that by introducing a surface application of microamperes to the body to it can restore lost positive and negative electrons. These electrons are the very essence of every living cell. The body is able to utilize this outside source of minute electrical currents to accelerate its own healing mechanisms.
When cells are damaged they become electrically imbalanced. Because microamperes are close to the electrical level of the body’s cells, the application of microcurrent is able to help re-balance a cell’s electricity. This returns damaged cells to a normal state and initiates cellular activity.
Through regular microcurrent treatments, the current is able to gradually close the gap and help heal the damaged area. This helps stimulate healing and will accelerate the body’s recovery process, as well as increasing the level of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).
Microcurrent Benefits
Microcurrent therapy has many known benefits and is an excellent foundation for other types of therapies. Some benefits include:
- Improved circulation and dilated blood vessels
- Increased amount of red blood cells
- Nerve repair and healing without scar tissue.
- Stimulating lymph circulation
- Elimination of wastes and toxins
- Increased ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) production up to 500%
- Increased excretion of fluids through the kidneys
- Lengthening the connective tissue, reducing or preventing formation of adhesion and reducing the danger of fibrosis
- Improved circulation and nutrition to joints
The variety of units and accessory electrodes available make it possible to customize treatments to match your needs – length of treatments, methods, frequency, etc.
Here are just a few conditions microcurrent helps:
- Annular, check, and suspensory ligament injuries
- Tendon injuries
- Hoof conditions
- General body soreness
- Boosting immune system
- Healing wounds
- Speeding up the healing process
You may be aware that many top NFR barrel racers rely on therapists with Acuscope and Myopulse machines to keep their valuable, winning horses performing their best. While this type of microcurrent therapy has found to be highly effective, the large, heavy units delivering the current often come with a high price tag, require in-depth training, and sometimes that they only be used under Veterinary supervision.
But savvy barrel racers at any level can receive many of the same benefits. Although receiving the full therapeutic value from microcurrent in whichever form it’s delivered does involve a bit of a learning curve, Matrix Therapy Products offers a variety of affordable and user friendly options for barrel racers to take their horses well-being into their own hands.
With so many expensive, questionably effective and heavily marketed therapy devices out there, Matrix has made microcurrent therapy feasible and accessible for the average horse owner or self-made competitor working their way up to pro-level competition.
A more advanced option for serious competitors is the FDA approved Best-Vet III microcurrent device, which not only treats problem areas but also provides biofeedback technology in the form of visual and auditory signals that correspond to the status of one or more of a patients physiological parameters (e.g. muscle activity, skin resistance, skin hydration, etc.), helping to more accurately recognize deficient and compromised tissue.
Watch the short, six minute video below for more
details and a demonstration of the Best-Vet III.
When it comes to barrel racing, it’s seems as though it’s not a matter of IF a horse will experience injury, but when. However, if we make educated choices and continuously expand our awareness and education in the areas of dental care, hoof care, nutrition, management, conditioning, training, riding, saddle fit, and supportive therapy options, we can not only manage what appears to be inevitable wear and tear, but create much greater chances for actually resolving, healing, and even preventing it.
In a world where accurate diagnoses can be difficult, elusive and costly, and masking and medicating physical issues are popular options, the key words for me personally are – maintain, heal and protect– which is what Matrix Therapy Products stands for, and are my first choices and preferences whenever possible!
Frosty (retired) receiving a hoof treatment.
Microcurrent has even shown to reduce and smooth out calcium deposits in joints and can be used as an alternative to intra-articular injections, which can come with side effects and risk, and sometimes cover up symptoms more so than contribute to repair of the source or root of the problem. Microcurrent used to deliver medications known as iontophroesis has proven to be especially effective in cases of more advanced bony changes, as well as for reducing joint inflammation, assisting healing of ligament injuries, and providing pain relief.
Like many barrel racers, I look for and value tools and therapies that are legitimately effective, but come with the least amount of risk for compromising my horse’s short or long term health and well-being, and microcurrent technology certainly comes out ahead in this area!
Thankfully, I’m on the downhill slide of my gelding’s recovery and he’s doing great. But I know that as we prepare our middle-aged geldings for competition this year that their bodies will soon be stressed and challenged in ways they certainly haven’t been since they’ve been laying relatively low for a while.
Because of my personal experiences I’m more empowered, educated and confident than ever in the program and tools I’m using for healing and managing existing issues, as well as preventing new ones, in order to get and keep our equine athletes on the fast track to success.
When it comes overcoming setbacks and making our barrel racing goals reality, while we DO need to believe in power of possibility, we also need to roll up our sleeves and simply do the work. We need to turn, burn and especially LEARN with the same tenacious “NEVER GIVE UP” attitude that barrel racers are so well known for displaying.
This way of being must go well beyond the arena. We have to do our homework to fully embrace the ability we ALL have to take responsibility for our barrel racing careers and our horse’s future with the combined goal of reaching higher levels of success and health.
If YOU don’t want anything standing in your way this season, the first action step I can whole heartedly recommend is to understanding more about microcurrent AND the many other popular therapy options out there by way of investing in Deborah Powell’s incredible, in-depth book, “Microcurrent for Horses and Other Vital Therapies You Should Know.”
It’s your perfect starting point to learn more about the power of microcurrent therapy all while stacking the odds for long-term horse health, soundness and barrel racing success in your favor. It will also serve as a valuable go-to supportive guide for utilizing microcurrent in all the forms Matrix Therapy Products offers.
When you’re ready for the next step, I encourage you to browse and consider the many therapeutic choices available at www.TherapyProducts.net.
I love my MicroPlus Equine Kit and and have been amazed by the positive differences in our horses after using the Matrix Best-Vet III device!
No one cares about your horses more than you, and no one wants you to be a successful barrel racing team more than you do – so I encourage you to be proactive about your horse’s long term well-being and performance in the arena, and hope that today’s article has further educated and empowered you to do just that!
Explore the resources below to learn even more about how to go with the flow:
- Microcurrent for Horses and Other Vital Therapies You Should Know book
- Matrix Therapy Products Online Article Library
- Frequently Asked Questions about Microcurrent Therapy
- Like Matrix Therapy Products on Facebook and follow on Instagram
- Purchase the Matrix Best-Vet III Device and Receive FREE Training
A light bulb moment! You have been giving me tips all this time and only now I have connected the dots! I have been asking God for a path to follow and I think He just gave me trough you! Thank you so, so much for being such an inspiration and being used by God to make mine and my horses lifes better! We love you!
Thanks Roberta! Your comment means a lot – as a Licensed Veterinary Technician, and YOU as a Veterinarian, we BOTH know and understand the real world anatomy and biomechanics of the horse AND the importance of science backed proof that must go with these therapies. But I also had some conversations with the Man upstairs about how I could best help heal my horses – Microcurrent has already been a HUGE blessing! I’m happy to share my experiences, research and results to help other barrel racers and their horses.
Hi Heather – A good friend turned me onto the Matrix therapies a couple of years ago. I LOVE IT!! It’s actually a system that you can SEE. I have the gel and the patches so I can do follow up work at home, before, during or after hauling or a race, or just to treat the horses when I sense they’re not quite “right”. For finding “bigger game”, they go to my friends for Horse Spay Day (or week). Thank you so much for publicly placing Matrix at tried and true.
Kim
I’ve been pretty impressed by the results I’m getting and I appreciate you sharing your experiences with Matrix microcurrent, Kim! I knew we had some physical issues to work through with our boys, so needed to take things to a higher level to support them with confidence that I was being EFFECTIVE!
I just ordered my kit can’t wait to try it out!
Hooray! After a few treatments I started to feel more comfortable with setting everything up and most importantly I could SEE and FEEL a difference in our horses right away!
What is your usual set up with your horses? Once a week treatment if they are not having issues or is it only when something is not quite right. I am looking for hock and hamstring program that will help keep my girl going strong.
Thanks
Hi Julie, you can be more aggressive when sorting out a known problem, like every other day for example and once/week sounds reasonable for maintenance. There are a TON of treatment charts and sequences, etc. in Deborah’s book + recommendations based on the specific problem. I’m prepping them physically to start competing again so 3x/week is ideal for us right now.
I just ordered my kit and can not wait to get started. I am want to get my main horse feeling good again and was wondering what the best maintenance plan was for them. Thanks for the info I am so excited to see the results.
So excited for you Julie! I have to say that this past week Dot Com has worked and felt the best he has in ages. I’ve had the goal to master his flying lead changes and lately his lope transitions are smooth and relaxed, he’s staying more calm and naturally round over his topline, etc. and I certainly credit much of the positive change in him to his recent microcurrent treatments – I only expect him to continue improving with more! 🙂
I have been using it on my rodeo mare with sore hamstrings and top line and have already noticed a release in muscle soreness in just 3 treatments. Next is the young horse who has always been a bit of a stinker going one direction so I am excited to see what results we get.
Glad to hear it Julie, thanks for sharing! I’ve noticed impressive changes as well and look forward to continued benefits!
We have a young rodeo mare that had a wire cut on front foot ankle. Scar healed great but her body started sending calcium to the area uncontrollably. Within a couple weeks we had a buildup of calcium on her pastern bone and heading toward the joint. Steroid and HA shots have stopped the progression along with shock wave therapy. I am reluctant to do anything at this point to upset this area but am wondering if this would reduce the calcium buildup in that area without disrupting it to the point that her body starts back in sending calcium again? Any experience with this specific problem?
Hi Terri, I think microcurrent would be a good option for both healing the soft tissue but also gently disrupting the laying down of calcium. The Micro-plus unit I have can be set to many different settings, some are better for healing and others for ‘sanding down’ areas of rough, bony deposits. If you speak with Deborah at Matrix she will likely recommend iontophoresis which can deliver a small amount of sarapin and dex to the area along with the healing microcurrent. Click here for several Matrix articles on the benefits of iontophoresis.