Mesotherapy
Mesotherapy is a treatment method used to relieve local pain, increased muscle tension, and hypersensitivity of the skin or underlying connective tissue. It is a minimally invasive technique in which very fine needles are used to inject small amounts of medication directly into or just beneath the skin. This technique is widely used in human sports medicine and has also proven its value in equine sports.
In mesotherapy, a series of superficial injections are administered in the painful or affected area—often the neck, back, and/or pelvic region. The injection fluid usually contains a combination of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, or muscle-relaxing agents, depending on the indication and clinical picture. By delivering these substances into the superficial skin layers, local nerve fibers, muscles, and connective tissue structures are affected.
Effect of mesotherapy
The effect is twofold:
- Pharmacological: the injected substances provide local pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Neurophysiological: the needling itself activates the peripheral nervous system. Through the so-called “gate-control mechanism,” nerves are stimulated in a way that reduces pain perception in the treated area.
Mesotherapy treatment
The treatment takes about 20–30 minutes. The horse is lightly sedated, and the area to be treated is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Dozens of small injections are then administered manually. After the treatment, a short period of rest or adjusted training is usually recommended, followed by reintroduction of movement.
Mesotherapy is safe, can be easily combined with other therapies (such as physiotherapy or injections), and can be repeated if necessary. The goal of this therapy is to break the vicious cycle of pain and restricted mobility in a specific area (for example, the neck or back).
By breaking the vicious cycle, the horse dares to move normally again, which—combined with other therapies (such as physiotherapy)—contributes to recovery. At SMDC, this treatment is therefore applied in a targeted way as part of an overall plan.
