Methods of stimulating acupuncture points for treatment of chronic back pain in horses.

Horses with chronic back pain of 2 to 108 months' duration were treated using acupuncture (n = 15), laser acupuncture (n = 15), or injection acupuncture (n = 15). Horses were treated once a week for 8 treatments (mean) with needle acupuncture, 11 treatments with laser acupuncture, or 9 treatments with injection acupuncture. After treatment, 37 horses had alleviation of clinical signs of pain and could train and compete: 13 horses treated with needle acupuncture; 11 horses treated with laser acupuncture; and 13 horses treated with injection acupuncture. Seemingly, the 3 types of acupuncture were equally useful for treating horses with chronic back pain.