Q: What is H-wave therapy?
A: H-wave is a type of muscle stimulation therapy that can be used to reduce pain and assist healing. It does this by passing an electrical current through the skin of the horse, which stimulates the sensory and motor nerves.
This stimulation of the sensory nerves has two possible effects:
- Blocking pain signals to the brain.
- Stimulating the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain-relieving chemicals.
Which of these effects is achieved depends on the machine’s specific settings.
Motor nerve stimulation causes the muscle to contract, helping strengthen and awaken muscles that have become weak or wasted due to injury, dysfunction or long periods of inactivity. This stimulated contraction also increases circulation, helping to flush toxins out of the muscles and encouraging the flow of nutrients to the muscles. This action assists in healing and improves the overall health of the muscle.