Laser acupuncture shows promise for equine back pain

A new equine rehabilitation study suggests laser acupuncture may be a practical alternative to electroacupuncture for some horses with thoracolumbar back pain. In the study, published in the Journal of Equine Rehabilitation and presented at the 2025 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, researchers randomly assigned 21 horses with confirmed thoracolumbar pain to control, electroacupuncture, or laser acupuncture groups. Both treatment groups showed significant increases in mechanical nociceptive thresholds, an objective pain measure, after three treatment sessions, with benefits still present one week after the last treatment. Electroacupuncture showed a stronger signal at some sites, but researchers found no significant differences between electroacupuncture and laser acupuncture overall at any site or time point. (sciencedirect.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the finding is less about replacing one modality with another and more about expanding options for horses that won’t tolerate needles, electrical stimulation, or longer treatment sessions. The authors and meeting coverage both note that laser acupuncture is noncontact and faster, which could make it useful for needle-shy patients or cases where handling tolerance limits therapy. That said, this was a small study, follow-up lasted only to Day 14, and the investigators noted protocol limitations, including not clipping hair coats before laser treatment, which could affect penetration. (equimanagement.com)

What to watch: Expect follow-up work on optimized dosing, longer-term outcomes, and which horses are most likely to benefit from laser versus electroacupuncture. (equimanagement.com)