The Sciatic Nerve In Common Equine Diseases

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗣𝗠, 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 (𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻), 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁.

A lesser-known issue is the prevalence of underlying equine herpes hiding in the bodies of most horses.  Horses are exposed to EHV-1 and EHV-4 early in life and typically, the immune system kicks in and the herpes lay dormant within the body, often never showing visible symptoms until a stressor causes it to rear its ugly head.  “EHM” or Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy in these neurological horses with the comorbidities mentioned above, will often present with SI pathology, even if subtle, and this will always cause sciatic pain for the horse.

A trained eye can spot this by observing posture, conformation deficits, compensation, and through analyzing movement. Horses are amazing at compensation. I would even go as far as to say that they are too good at compensating. They tolerate so much. It truly is remarkable what a horse will willingly contend with before “speaking up”.

In horses with SI pathology, the gluteal muscles will appear atrophied (not as rounded as they should be) especially from the caudal or caudal-dorsal view of the horse. Hoof balance, especially in the hind hooves, is vital to good sacroiliac health, and can significantly contribute to sciatic pain if the hooves are not properly balanced. This is sciatic nerve pain which radiates, and leads to compensation, performance issues, behavior changes, and even lethargy.

Another residual effect of the aforementioned pathology is that the horse’s psoas muscles are going to be tighter, and this can be debilitating and extremely painful for the horse. Psoas issues paired with SI problems all stemming from herpes compounded with other diseases, are challenging for horse owners to overcome because there are layers of system failures and disease to resolve.

Address the Diseases: Must be addressed with treatment and proper diagnosis. This may sound simple in theory, but our current scientific community and veterinary landscape aren’t always adept to the conditions I am describing, making diagnosis and even treatment difficult.

Systemic Support: The body will require adequate support, and this will need to be tailored to help the digestive tract, microbiome, nervous system, immune system, musculoskeletal, and circulatory systems heal and function at 100%. This is achieved through strategic functional nutrition, thoughtful rehab programs, and suitable treatments.

Rehabilitation: This is a crucial component, and it takes a great deal of time and effort. The best way to tackle SI issues and sciatic pain is through acupuncture or equine acupressure techniques which are rooted in Chinese Medicine. Secondly, bodywork by a professional such as an equine osteopath or trained equine bodyworker will benefit the horse by carefully manipulating the tissue and helping the horse become more balanced over time. Consistent sessions with follow up exercises and “homework” on the part of the horse owner are imperative to long-term recovery.

As we delve into the aspects of kinesiology and equine physiology, it can be quite easy to hyper-focus on stifles when we hear “EPM” or “Lyme disease”. We must remember that the horse’s body, like ours, is made up of systems that all function synergistically, and that means it is never “just one issue”, unfortunately. When it comes to the horse, everything is connected.

I encourage equine caretakers to do what they can to learn how to perform weekly bodywork exercises at home on their own horses, while working with a professional at least every six weeks. I also recommend learning how to spot the symptoms of SI pathologies and sciatic pain, so that you will have a trained eye. Ensure you’re working with a skilled farrier so that the hoof angles are not contributing to your horse’s pain or limiting recovery. Work on building strength, releasing fascia, as well as prioritizing the immune health of the horse.

All these efforts will yield a far better outcome than if we overlook important details in horses (and other equines) that are battling disease.

If you wish to learn more about any of these issues, please know that I am here to support you.

Be well. Be horsemen. Be you.