Understanding
Skeletal Muscle Soreness in the Horse
The three muscle types are smooth, cardiac, and skeletal.
The first two are involuntary, whereas skeletal muscles
are voluntary; the brain sends a signal to the muscles
via nerves, and the muscles react accordingly.
Skeletal muscles are striated in design. A single
muscle is composed of numerous muscle bundles, each
muscle bundle is then made up of hundreds of individual
muscle fibres; either Type 1 or Type 2 muscle fibres.
Type 2 fibres can be further subdivided into Type
2A and Type 2B fibres.
Horses may experience muscle soreness following high
intensity exercise which resulted in fatigue due to
the production of lactic acid, the effect of hydrogen
ions and the increased fluid uptake into the interstitial
spaces between the muscle cells (tissue oedema).
Correct warming down will help to reverse these effects
and cycloid vibration has also been shown to reduce
muscle soreness and stiffness as it increases the
blood flow which helps to remove the hydrogen ions
and reduce the oedema.
This is why so many people use Equissage after competitions
and training to help with muscle soreness and to prevent
stiffness.
|
