Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation

Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation are two physiological responses that occur within the horse’s body that help to regulate blood flow, body temperature and oxygen/nutrient delivery to tissues and organs.

VASOCONSTRICTION: Describes a narrowing of the blood vessels

VASODILATION: Describes a widening of the blood vessels

Compression stimulates mechanoreceptors within the horse’s skin and muscles providing therapeutic effects, including reduced pain, improved muscle health, and relaxation.

How is this applied to equine massage therapy?

As an equine massage therapist, I use compression techniques that stimulate this physiological response reducing inflammation and pain. Compression techniques include static compression, rhythmical compression and compression glides, involving the whole palm of the hand or more targeted fingers, thumbs or elbows, depending on the muscle size and area requiring treatment. SOme examples of these are shown below.

In the first instance, compression causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators. When the pressure is released vasodilation occurs (widening of the blood vessels) and this circulatory response causes a surge of fresh oxygenated blood packed full nutrients into the area to nourish, heal and repair the tissue and a subsequent purge of waste products and toxins.

Safety is key

Compression techniques should always be applied with care by a skilled individual with a thorough knowledge of the horse’s anatomy and physiology. When used correctly on soft tissue,  avoiding joints or bony prominences, as part of an overall equine massage therapy session, compression techniques can be highly effective in reducing pain and speeding up recovery as well as improving performance by supporting overall muscle health. Compression must be applied gradually and adjusted according to the horse’s response with careful attention given to the equine’s behaviour at all times.

So that brings us to the end of this blog (I told you it was short and sweet!). Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed it and found it useful. If you’d like your horse to experience the power of touch with an equine massage therapy session, please drop me a line as I’d love to hear from you.

And don’t forget to check out my Facebook page page which has regular tips and fun facts like this to help you better understand your horse’s muscular-skeletal system which in turn helps us all to be a better riders/carers for our four-legged friends. Please “Like” and “follow” my page to keep up-to-date with my equine ramblings.

Thanks for reading and sharing and I look forward to catching up with you again soon! In the mean time, why not check out some of my other blog posts.