EPM in Horses Treatment and Background: Effectiveness of Kinesio Tape
EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) is a complicated equine disease that affects a horses central nervous system and this blog is far from all-encompassing.
According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, "EPM is an abbreviation for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. Disease of the brain and/or spinal cord in the horse. Caused by protozoan parasites, the most of important of which is transmitted by the opossum. Difficult to accurately diagnose."
As an OT, I spent some time in a brain injury unit teaching people how to use their body again after strokes and traumatic brain injuries, so in my mind, EPM is comparable because of the neurological damage.
If you have ever been around a person after a stroke or a brain injury, one of their deficits could be body awareness.
Using a hand as an example, depending on the degree of severity they might:
Forget to use their hand for simple tasks like eating
Hit or injure their hand because they lost track of where it was in space
Not know that that hand belongs to them at all
Because of the neurological damage, their brain is not processing input from their body correctly and all kinds of deficits present themselves.
We don’t always look at horses this way. When we see a human in rehab post brain injury we understand the deficits much clearer. And diagnosis of EPM and treatment of EPM in horses can be difficult.
Horses can and do have this same experience.
We may struggle to see it for several reasons.
Maybe because horses are better at compensating.
Maybe because they are not doing fine motor tasks that require such detailed and small movements for us to see deficits (because they don’t have hands or fingers).
Maybe because we just don’t know how to look for it.
Maybe because we don’t want to see it, we just want to get them back to performing.
No matter the reason, our lack of seeing deficits doesn’t mean their neurological system isn’t damaged.
A a reminder, here are some symptoms we see in horses with EPM:
drooping eyes, ears, or lips
head tilt
muscle atrophy
Following pharmaceutical treatment they need rehab.
We can’t expect to get back on them and return to their previous exercises just because they’ve been treated. There are neurological deficits that resulted in musculoskeletal damage.
If my neurological system was damaged, something as simple as brushing my teeth may require assistance, training, and practice to return to doing it normal again.
I’m definitely not going to return to my sport without effortful and intentional training.
You may need to send your horse to a rehab facility. There are professionals out there that are highly skilled and trained to provide your horse with an excellent rehab journey.
You may have a mild case that you are comfortable taking on at home.
Proprioception is the brain’s awareness of where body parts are in space.
Horses (and humans) won’t - and can’t - use a body part if they have no clue that that body part even exists.
It might sound crazy, but that is a real thing.
Try working your horses in sport boots or polo wraps.
Just having something on their legs helps them find their legs and feet.
Tape them.
Put tape on the muscles that they need help finding.
The tape will demand more attention from the brain and help improve the awareness to that body part while minimizing fatigue.
Give them intentional exercise.
Intentional movement doesn’t have to be complicated movement, just get them thinking about where their feet are being placed.
Their brain and their body will be exhausted far faster than you think. Short sessions are very effective.
Consult a professional. Buy a book. Reach out for help.
EPM is an ugly, nasty thing. I wish it on no one, but there is hope, there is help, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Returning to performance before your horse’s body is ready can increase stress and increase your chances for relapse.
Correct rehab can set you up for a smoother road to recovery.
Let them find their body again, then teach them how to use it again.
Its worth the time investment.
More about kinesiology tape and EPM in horses
Below is an article that discusses the effectiveness of taping for proprioception post-neurological damage.
The results showed that tape improves correct gait after neurological damage.
The article: Effects of proprioceptive sense-based Kinesio taping on walking imbalance by Young-Han Park, PhD and Jung-Ho Lee, PhD
From their Abstract:
[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine how application of Kinesio tape to the upper and lower limbs affects walking through stimulation of the proprioceptive sense.
[Subjects and Methods] Patients diagnosed with hemiplegia due to stroke were selected as the subjects of the study. To ascertain the effects of Kinesio taping on walking, all subjects performed a straight line walking test three times while barefoot. In terms of the actual taping application, elastic Kinesio tape was used on the hemiplegic side in all subjects.
[Results] The results of testing showed a significant difference in the values between before and after taping. In terms of left and right deviation according to the site of the taping application, there were statistically significant differences among the groups.
[Conclusion] In conclusion, application of Kinesio taping for central nerve injury was confirmed to be effective in reducing walking deviation.
Want to learn taping techniques? Check out my Foundational taping course (and many more), here.
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