Trimwave: Revolutionary Equine Care
Proper and effective equine care is essential for ensuring your horse is in peak condition. Whether you own a horse or are simply taking care of one, there are many aspects to consider, including the animals nutritional needs, vaccinations, caring for the teeth and hooves, ensuring that it has adequate protection from the elements, and more.
But one of the most important factors is preserving and if necessary, rehabilitating your horse’s power and muscular movements. Trimwave is the best solution in this case. From equine pain relief and management to proper functioning and movement, Trimwave is your complete equine care solution.
In this guide, we take a closer look at how Trimwave works, what its benefits are, and provide real-life case studies to prove its effectiveness. Let’s begin!
What Is Trimwave?
Trimwave is an electro-stimulation machine that utilizes H-wave therapy to induce muscular and neurological stimulation in horses. H-wave therapy is a form of non-invasive electrotherapy commonly used by veterinary physiotherapists in the treatment, care, and rehabilitation of horses.
Trimwave provides faster recovery after exercise-related injury or lameness. It can also treat muscle spasms and SI (sacroiliac joint) dysfunction which encourages hind-end engagement, improves range of motion, and more.
It is a great alternative to drug-based pain relief treatments and electrotherapies. Plus, it can be used as part of a larger rehabilitation or equine care plan. Let’s examine Trimwaves benefits.
Benefits of Trimwave
Trimwave provides a wide range of benefits that allow it to be used as part of veterinary care, physiotherapy routines, equine training, etc. Here are its key benefits.
1. Multi-Functional Electrical Stimulation
Trimwave’s H-wave electrical stimulation has myriad applications. We’ve narrowed them down to two categories: pain management and muscle stimulation/activation.
Pain Management
By using H-wave therapy, Trimwave stimulates the body’s natural pain-killing mechanisms to provide effective pain relief. It also helps reduce trigger points and muscle spasms.
Muscle Stimulation
Trimwave’s muscle-stimulating effects can bring about a range of benefits for your horses such as:
- Improved blood flow
- Increased oxygen
- Reduced inflammation
- Increased lymphatic drainage
These changes can promote the faster healing of injuries, reduce and prevent edema, relieve muscle tension, and even improve performance.
2. Non-Fatiguing Muscle Stimulation
The H-wave treatment uses a biphasic waveform, which replicates the body’s natural signaling process. This type of stimulation is not disruptive and, therefore, doesn’t induce fatigue when stimulating muscle contractions.
3. Lasting, Cumulative Benefits
Trimwave features flexible frequency settings to deliver varied muscle stimulations depending on the desired result. When used at high-frequency settings of 60Hz, Trimwave can create a long-lasting analgesic effect through accumulative post-synaptic depression.
Here’s how it works: Using H-wave therapy at high frequencies helps deactivate sodium pumps within nerve fibers. These sodium pumps are responsible for regulating the excitability of neurons that transmit pain signals.
When H-wave therapy is used frequently, it leads to an overall decrease in pain perception.
How Does Trimwave Work?
Trimwave allows clinicians to deliver tailored treatments to individual patients using frequencies between 1Hz and 200Hz. Users can set the timers for up to 30 minutes or operate the device continuously in manual mode.
All settings on the device are fully adjustable to enable the user to control the frequency, intensity, and duration of stimulation. You can find all of these configurations displayed on the digital backlit screen.
Here are the two set modes of Trimwave and how they work.
Low-Frequency Settings
Trimwave works by delivering low-level electrical currents that mimic the natural H-waveform found in the body’s nerve signals. Trimwav’s operation follows the Hoffman Reflex which entails the activation of muscles by the indirect electrical stimulation of sensory fibers in the innervating nerves.
In addition, the H-waveform generated by Trimwave can more deeply penetrate the tissues with the same low-frequency settings (2Hz). This is thanks to the application of biphasic, exponential decaying waveforms for long pulse durations. The mechanism is responsible for improving blood circulation and waste removal along with providing relief from pain, swelling, and muscle tightness.
Because of its similarity to the natural H-waveform, Trimwaves H-wave therapy doesn’t cause any discomfort and is readily accepted by the body. It’s a much safer alternative to drug-based pain relief and other therapies.
Unlike other electrotherapy devices, Trimwave uses less power while delivering more effective stimulation. Trimwaves H-wave therapy stimulates low-tension contractions whereas other electrotherapies stimulate fatiguing and tetanizing contractions.
Overall, the effect of Trimwaves stimulation is long-lasting while other electrotherapies deliver short-term stimulation.
High-Frequency Settings
In the high-frequency mode (60Hz), Trimwave can be used to create an analgesic and anesthetic effect. The mechanism follows the pain gate theory, which suggests that the perception of pain can be reduced by the release of endorphins. These endorphins help close the transmission link that enables the spinal cord to transmit the pain signal to the brain.
In a Trimwave therapy session, the high-frequency settings can be used on acutely painful areas before switching to low-frequency settings.
Another option is to use high- and low-frequency settings at the same time. Apply low-frequency settings for injury sites and high-frequency settings for the surrounding regions. Following this guideline can help reduce temporary pain while providing long-term relief.
Of course, different horses will have different thresholds for electrical stimulation. Clinicians should always administer the right Trimwave frequency settings after monitoring the horse’s reaction.
Trimwave Pad Placement and Application
Trimwave comes with a pair of pads (electrodes) that are placed on motor points of target muscles to pass electric current and induce stimulation. It is necessary to ensure proper placement and application of the pads for maximum effectiveness.
When using Trimwave, make sure you’re:
- Using high-conductive gel on the pads to maximize contact and transmission
- Using tape to keep electrodes in place, only if required
- Using either large black/red pad electrodes or small black electrodes
Trimwave Contraindications
Although safe and effective, Trimwaves H-wave therapy should not be performed on horses with the following contraindications.
- Pregnancy
- Undiagnosed pain
- Over carotid artery
- Heart murmurs
- Systemic or local infection
- Trans-cerebrally
- Trans-thoracically
- Animals subject to seizures
Trimwave Case Studies
Trimwave has demonstrated promising results in many real-life cases. Its low- and high-frequency settings are useful for horses across multiple disciplines. Here are some real-life applications of Trimwave to help you gain a better understanding of its functions, applications, and effectiveness.
Aim: Lumbar/Sacral Pain Relief
Trimwave was used on a nine-year-old showjumper. The horse successfully competes during the busy season and receives regular health screening for performance management.
The horse received medication in the past for lumbar/sacral pain but a more effective and long-term solution was needed. The goal was to achieve improved activation and mobility. The clinician devised a treatment plan of low-frequency stimulation since palpation didn’t reveal any pain.
After regular sessions with Trimwave, the goals were achieved along with cumulative benefits such as improvement in the quality of movement and performance. The owner also reported an increase in take-off power.
Aim: Thoracolumbar Epaxial Pain Relief
This study displays the application of high- and low-frequency settings in a horse that was experiencing pain through the thoracolumbar epaxials.
The horse was evaluated after a competition in poor weather. It was also awaiting a new saddle. Based on this information and a palpation test, the animal was prescribed a treatment of high-frequency 60Hz stimulations in multiple locations for 10 minutes. This was followed by a low-frequency therapy session.
After treatment, the horse was much more mobile and comfortable while palpation didn’t reveal any irregularities.
Aim: Successful Prelim Dressage Test
This example illustrates Trimwaves effects on a pleasure horse that owners hoped would perform successfully during a prelim dressage test. Previously a driving horse, the patient was cranially shifted. This made it difficult for the horse to efficiently engage its hindquarters or perform transitions.
The clinician prescribed a treatment plan involving rehabilitation exercises along with Trimwave stimulation. The goal was to change its movement patterns and improve its transitions.
The treatment was a success while allowing the clinician to work on improving the thoracolumbar flexion manually.
Aim: Increase Pelvic Tilt
In this study, the goal was to increase the pelvic tilt of a horse utilizing just one channel. The clinician opted for Trimwave over traditional muscle stimulation to encourage overall better movement while minimizing discomfort from the stimulation. The clinician also wanted to reduce the pain and muscular spasms in the pelvic region.
The procedure involved applying the channel over the lumbar and gluteal region to aid gentle mobilization of the lumbosacral joint and sacroiliac joint.
The treatment was a success. The team was able to increase the pelvic tilt. The horse also showed greater flexibility throughout the pelvis, improving its range of motion.
Trimwave: A Horse’s Best Option for Pain, Mobility, and Rehabilitation
Trimwave H-wave therapy is a safe and effective option for treating pain, improving overall mobility, and supporting rehabilitation in horses.
However, it’s important to remember that any type of therapy should only be performed under the consultation and care of an experienced H-wave therapy veterinarian. Owners should also equip themselves with knowledge of contraindications and Trimwave settings to ensure the well-being of their four-legged companions.
Research conducted and supplied by Dr Fiona Bloom PhD Msc Bsc