March Case of the Month: A New Procedure for Equine Head Shaking Syndrome
Dr Danica has been trialing a new procedure for Equine Head Shaking Syndrome (EHSS). This procedure was initially developed in the UK and more recently adopted by researchers at Cornell University. EHSS, although not well understood in horses, is thought to be the result of overstimulation of the trigeminal nerve of the face. The syndrome is described in humans as the episodic, intermittent, or persistent, mild to severe tingling, burning, shooting or stabbing electric shock-like pain around the face. There are a multitude of possible medical treatments for this mysterious syndrome in horses, none of which work consistently well in every horse. This newly developing procedure involves electroacupuncture using a Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS) of the infraorbital nerve for treatment of Trigeminal Nerve Mediated Head Shaking (TMHS). Using her acupuncture skills, Dr Danica places acupuncture needles near the infraorbital nerve (nerve that runs between the horse’s eye and nose) and sends electrical impulses to the nerve and its associated facial muscles in the horse for 25 min under light sedation. Although the technique and protocol are still being perfected, the research papers are reporting this to be an effective and well tolerated management option for horses with TMHS.
