The largest mass of soft issue in the horse's body is muscle. Often we overlook the role sore muscles play in decreased athletic performance. Most people think of muscle pain as temporary soreness after a workout. Yet, controlling muscle pain can be the key to avoiding further decrease in athletic performance, and in the prevention of joint injury. The ways in which muscle pain inhibits the athlete, whether horse or human, are discussed with suggested physical therapy solutions.
Muscle pain is a physical stress.
It is a drain of both the physical and the mental energy. When there is pain, the body sets up protective mechanisms, such as muscle contraction, to guard the injured area. The metabolic processes necessary to maintain this chronic muscle tension take their toll on the body's physical energy. Emotional stress is a very real component to muscle pain, as well. Emotional stress is the constant feedback from the pain site, which human therapists think distracts the brain from full concentration on the athletic task at hand.