Page 58 - July 2016

Microcurrent therapy
Microcurrent therapy is simply the application of very low levels of electrical stimulation to muscles, tendons and ligaments
for horses
by Heather Smith Thomas
Microcurrent therapy has been used in human medicine and sports medicine for a number of years and only recently has this technol-
ogy been adapted for use with horses. This has proven to be a way to give drug-free pain relief while aiding healing of muscles, tendons and ligaments. This form of therapy uses electrical impulses that are similar to the body’s own electrical activity.
Don Doran and his wife Lisa Stahl Doran (both licensed human sports massage therapists and equine professionals) have recently become the managers
of a new equine product called Microlief ® and are using and promoting it to help elite equine athletes give peak performance. Don, an Equine Performance Consultant, has worked with human and equine ath- letes for many years. He feels there is very little differ- ence between the needs of the human athlete and the equine athlete. He attended human massage school with a personal goal of correlating muscle problems of the human runner and the equine runner. In 1983 he designed and launched the first equine sports message therapy training program.
With more than 40 years’ experience working with a number of top equine athletes (from Kentucky Derby winners to Olympic contenders), he became excited about the human microcurrent product, which was created by Francis Powell, after learning about it while researching ways to help his human clients. He immediately realized the potential benefit it could have for horses.
Francis Powell, President and Chief Technical Officer of Newmark, Inc., has created the designs and helped manufacture a variety of products. Over
a 43-year career, those products have ranged from military applications to consumer electronics. He
has devoted the past 15 years to developing medical devices to help relieve pain and improve quality of life for the aging human. His in-depth knowledge of the bioelectricity of living bodies made possible the invention of the microcurrent power supply that pow- ers the Microlief ® product.
Don Doran and Lisa are very enthusiastic about what this technology can do for horses. “I’ve worked with horses for 45 years in the field of rehab and layups due to various problems,” says Don. “My main back- ground is with racehorses, and I’ve done a lot of leg work and body work, which led me into the field of equine therapy and equine sports massage, which I’ve taught for 25 years. I love the Microlief ® because it promotes the healing process and speeds it up quite a bit,” he says.
Lisa and Don Doran, both licensed human sports massage therapists and equine professionals, administer Microlief® therapy to a horse.
The unit today is small and not as bulky as the first models and is easily affixed to the area where you want to target the electrical stimulation, whether on the horse’s fetlock joint, leg, knee or hock, or some area of the back or on some part of your own body. “When you put this on, you generally don’t feel a thing. Some people will feel a little bit, but it doesn’t create any discomfort. It does not stimulate the cen- tral nervous system.”
Microcurrent therapy works at the same electri- cal circuitry level as the body’s own natural reflexes. “You don’t notice any difference, but what that low level does is allow the electrical current to permeate the tissue cells and help facilitate better circulation
to bring in fresh blood and oxygen. It also stimulates release of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) at the cellular level,” Don says.
After a strenuous athletic workout, many trainers/ riders traditionally used a brace-type liniment or poultice to help with circulation to take away the waste products in the muscles and help keep the body from being stiff/sore afterward. “In any athlete, we are trying to reduce the inflammatory process after the event and, at the same time, move the blood. This is why liniments, etc. are used, but the microcur-
rent increases circulation both coming and going.
It essentially helps flush that area and bring in fresh oxygen. This is what reduces pain and inflammation and speeds healing,” he says.
“We’ve had great success with horses we’ve used this on, and we now offer Microlief ® equine micro- current therapy certification training for equine sport
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SPEEDHORSE, July 2016
equine health