22/10/2025
KISSING SPINES = conflits de processus épineux
Studies have shown that in horses with kissing spines (overriding or impinging dorsal spinous processes), the interspinous ligament often becomes inflamed or fibrotic.
This chronic irritation can lead to:
🔹 Increased sensory nerve fibers (hyper-innervation)
• This phenomenon, often referred to as neuronal sprouting, is common in chronically inflamed or damaged tissues.
• It heightens the area’s sensitivity to mechanical pressure, movement, or even mild touch.
🔹 Clinical Relevance
• This explains why horses with kissing spines can display dramatic or unpredictable behaviors under saddle, even if they don’t show clear signs of lameness.
• Pain from hyper-innervated tissue can be sharp, localized, and exacerbated by back movement, especially when the saddle or rider compresses the spine.
Massage therapy can be a powerful tool for horses with kissing spines.
Massage helps by:
✅ Reducing muscular tension
✅ Improving circulation
✅ Releasing fascial restrictions
✅ Reducing pain and discomfort
✅ Alleviate compensatory patterns that contribute to pain.
Over time, this support allows the horse to adopt a healthier posture—lifting through the thoracic sling, engaging the core, and reducing pressure between the spinous processes—ultimately promoting better movement and comfort.
🧠 Bonus Insight
This kind of neural adaptation is also observed in humans with chronic back pain, where ligamentous or fascial structures develop increased nociceptive input, contributing to pain sensitization and sometimes movement avoidance behaviors.
* The interspinous ligament connects the spinous processes of adjacent thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. It supports spinal stability and helps limit excessive flexion. In conditions like kissing spines, it can become inflamed, thickened, or fibrotic, contributing to pain and restricted mobility.
Massage with Myofascial Release can be a Real Game Changer for Horses with Kissing Spines - https://koperequine.com/massage-can-be-a-game-changer-for-horses-with-kissing-spines/
