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  Discussion on Equine electro-accuscope
Author Message
New Member:
clee

Posted on Friday, Mar 21, 2008 - 1:17 pm:

Does any one have any experience with using electro-accuscope therapy for rehabbing injuries?

Thanx, Carolyn
Member:
eoeo

Posted on Friday, Mar 21, 2008 - 3:10 pm:

Yes, I have.
New Member:
crobin

Posted on Friday, Mar 21, 2008 - 9:39 pm:

I'll start out by stating that I'm a certified electro-acuscope therapist - maybe not objective, but I've seen remarkable results. I've used it on many horses, as well as on dogs and people. It's very good for neurological problems (paralysis). It also draws out abscesses and poisonous insect/snake bites. It speeds healing of any soft tissue injury, by increasing the circulation to the injured area and creating the correct electrical charge in the injured cells so they can heal themselves. It's totally painless. For best results, you should plan on daily treatment for 3-5 days, maybe longer for serious injuries. Different frequencies and intensities will work better to treat different conditions, so whenever possible you should have a vet's diagnosis before starting treatment.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Mar 22, 2008 - 9:28 am:

Hello Everyone,
The electro-accuscope is a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device and there is a real paucity of peer reviewed scientific information on this device. Back in the 80's there was a small amount of research that strongly suggest its main effect is having induced an increased threshold to pain but there seems to have been a real lack on interest since then.

Currently we consider the use of such a device as alternative medicine: that which does not have any scientific proof of the claims made by the manufacturer nor a clear mode of action to achieve it's claims.
DrO
Member:
eoeo

Posted on Saturday, Mar 22, 2008 - 10:36 am:

I believe it has been approved by the FDA for humans. All I know is that a horse that had been treated by the vets at the track for 3 weeks to the tune of $500.00 couldn't put weight on his right hind leg when I fianlly said enough is enough and picked him up. He took 5 minutes to hobble 50 feet to the trailer. When I got him home I had a friend use the accuscope on him for 3 days. After the first treatment, he put weight on that leg. After the 3rd day and 3rd treatment, he was walking out on it. We gave him two more treatments after waiting a couple of days and the horse was walking sound. He had a pinched nerve or something. We put him back in training a month later and the horse went on to win races. That is only one of several instances we have used accuscope. Right now, my sister's dachsund is being treated. He injured his back and she gave him steroids, etc. that the vet prescribed. They didn't do anything for him. He has been dragging his hind end around for several months. I suggested the accuscope treatments and after two, he is using his hind legs again. Granted, he is wobbly and weak from lack of use but he is walking again. This is not scientific, this is what has worked. I would not hesitate to have a horse treated by a certified accuscope technician. It will work or it won't. If it doesn't, you are no further behind than you were.
Member:
dres

Posted on Saturday, Mar 22, 2008 - 10:40 am:

My experience with the Tens in the 80's was positive.. I was recovering from a broken back and several whip lashes.. the pain was terrible, i could not carry my hand bag the pain was that bad.. my docs hooked me up in 6 spots on my back with the Tens unit and i wore a battery pack.. I have to say the relief from Pain was very noticeable.. there were times i would ''zap''myself as it was set to zap me every min or so.. * i really don't remember the time frame..* Did it help speed up recovery? I haven't a clue.. but am thankful that it was available at that time..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Member:
clee

Posted on Saturday, Mar 22, 2008 - 11:17 am:

thanks to everyone for all your input. I think I will give it a try..Tux's rehab is going slowly and I'd like to be able to avoid another coffin joint injection if at all possible. People around here (Reno area) that have used it are seeing very good results.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 - 8:29 am:

LKR, there are many lameness situations which would be lame for weeks then improve just using the horses natural healing, this would be expected to happens the majority of time with illnesses in horses whether a TENs unit is used or not. You decision to use it is certainly your choice and there may is evidence the unit is useful for pain relief as stated in my earlier post
but to use it as a substitute for diagnosis and therapy is fraught with danger to the horse.

Take note of this Carolyn. If you have a firm diagnosis and therapy available that will help heal tissues this would be a poor alternative. If simple pain relief is what you are seeking this might be useful.

Ann there is a small amount of good work to show it relieves pain but Nada on improved healing. Therefore pain relief would not be considered alternative. However the manufacturer of the device for veterinary use advertises a much wider use of unsupported claims and reason I consider the use of the accuscope largely alternative.
DrO
Member:
eoeo

Posted on Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 - 8:58 am:

Dr. O, as I stated in my response, we only used the accuscope after the race vets had "diagnosed" the horse had an abscess and spent $500 toward that diagnosis, the dog had seen a vet and was prescribed steroids. After a few months of no improvement, that is when the accuscope was used with almost immediate results. I don't believe either of these results had anything to do with natural healing but I could be wrong. I am just pleased with the outcome. The accuscope is just a tool and should be used by a certified technician after a person has exhausted all medical advice from the vets. It is a last gasp effort in some cases. EO
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Mar 24, 2008 - 7:44 am:

LKR, if the horse had a foot abscess that should require approximately 3 days to get sound, if it did not have an abscess (and therefore there was no diagnosis) on what do you base your belief there was no natural healing?

The type evidence you site, a temporal relationship, can be used to support any therapeutic regimen where it is used and then the animal gets better. And since 80 percent of all illnesses will get better whether treated or not means if someone rattles chicken bones over sick patients, they will find they "cure" 80% of their patients and that this is very effective treatment. Consider where 2000 years of such thought took us to: the mid 1800's where there are frequent historical references that those who saw doctors died at greater rates than those who did not. Not until the introduction of carefully conducted studies which included blinded controls was it possible to accurately measure the effect of treatment.

As we have stated before anyone who truly believes that what they are doing is helping certainly should not stop on our say so and we ask that if our recommendations run counter to your knowledge or experiences you should always double check the information with independent sources. And we appreciate your experiences, but it is my job here to illuminate "evidence based medicine" by critiquing all recommendations.
DrO
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