Intra-rectal ozone therapy for the control of low back pain in equines https://doi.org/10.12982/VIS.2026.079
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Abstract
Ozone therapy has been commonly used as an integrative approach for pain management, despite limited scientific evidence in equine medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intra-rectal ozone administration on back sensitivity in healthy dressage horses using infrared thermography and pressure algometry. Four horses, clinically fit to work, were included in a sequential clinical design consisting of a four-week control phase with intra-rectal oxygen administration, a six-week washout period and a four-week treatment phase with intra-rectal ozone. Ozone was administered at a dose of 15 mg per session (1000 mL at 15 mg/L). Assessments were performed weekly before and after each administration at predefined thoracolumbar regions. Thermography did not show significant changes in superficial temperature following ozone administration. In contrast, pressure algometry revealed a significant increase in the mechanical nociceptive threshold after ozone treatment, as well as a cumulative effect throughout the treatment period. Our results suggest that the intra-rectal ozone therapy may have analgesic potential for the control of equine dorsal, objectively assessed by pressure algometry, despite the absence of detectable thermographic changes.
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