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Winning the horse care equipment and clothing category at the 2017 BETA innovation awards the Protechmasta was recognised as a rug that would appeal to professionals and amateurs, and help a variety of horses. Also introducing, the Protechmasta for dogs. The specially designed therapy system enhances your dogs body functions, so you can rest assured that mans best friend is well looked after. Tried and tested by experts in the field, read on to discover how the Protechmasta look after your horse...
Research Articles on The Effects of Heat on Tendon Flexibility and Heat and Toxin Removal:
“The anterior and posterior cruciate ligament flexibility increased and the force needed to move the knee decreased with heat by about 25% compared to cold application.” (1)
“Heat is beneficial in increasing muscle and ligament flexibility and may help reduce athletic injuries, but cold treatment may have the opposite effect.” (1)
“It is generally assumed that a warm up, by increasing tissue temperature, will increase tissue distensibility and reduce the incidence of injury. These warm-ups involve many modalities and can include stretching, heat, changes in tissue temperature by exercise, and even mental conditioning” (1)
“But other tissues such as the knee and its ligaments can only be heated effectively externally. This is also true for the ankle. Here, external heat may be of great benefit.” (1)
“Successful treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis. Diagnostic tools such as thermography, ultrasound, and scintigraphy can identify the inflamed structures with accuracy that was not previously possible.” (2)
“ Heat can be used to neutralize trigger points, a nodule of tender muscle and a source of muscle pain. Treatment of trigger points is aimed at increasing local circulation so the irritated muscle spindle at the heart of the trigger point has sufficient energy to relax. Warming the musculature causes a reflex relaxation of the muscle fibers.” (2)
“Heat, being a form of energy, increases metabolic activity in the cells. This increased activity causes an increase in oxygen demand locally. As a result, capillary dilation occurs to increase the amount of blood that brings oxygen and nutrients to the area. Membrane diffusion and enzymatic activity also increase, enabling oxygen consumption and waste removal. The waste products of injury include prostaglandins, bradykinin, and histamine, all implicated in nerve fiber sensitization and pain.” (2)
“Prior heating will facilitate comfortable exercise when connective tissue contractures or scar tissue exists around a joint, limiting its movement. Heating dense connective tissue affects bonds between collagen molecules, making the tissue more pliant. This allows more even distribution of force throughout the entire tissue, reducing focal points of stress, rupture, and inflammation.4 Joint extensibility will increase when heating and stretching are carried out repeatedly over a period of time.” (2)
“Cold muscles and tendons are not as flexible as warm ones therefore they are more prone towards injury. A good warm up increases circulation, which warms up the muscles and tendons. As the temperature increases the chemical reactions in the body work faster, which allows the muscles to contract and relax faster.” (3)
“As their elastic limit is doubled when warm, tendons are less prone to injury if warmed up gradually. Cold tendons are less pliable and more susceptible to damage.” (4)
“Factors which predispose to muscle strains include cold temperatures or impaired circulation to the muscle, local or generalized muscle fatigue, poor or insufficient training, and insufficient warm-up.1 Cold has been shown to increase muscle tension and cause circulatory disturbances.” (5)
“Insufficient warm-up of muscles prior to exercise results in decreased circulation and lowered capacity to eliminate muscle waste products. Both these factors decrease the muscle’s ability to sustain maximal performance.” (5)
“Because it soothes nerve endings, heat therapy decreases pain in infected and sore areas.8 By dilating blood vessels, heat therapy promotes better circulation, dislodges toxins, and allows more nutrients to enter bodily tissues.6,8.” (6)
How Protechmasta works
Far infrared (FIR) which is alternatively called biogenetic radiation or biogenetic rays, is the part of Infrared (IR) which has the pure heating effect on cells due to marked sensitivity of our thermoreceptors. It penetrates up to 5 cm beneath the skin surface. Not only is FIR absorbed by the Equines body but it is also emitted by the body in the form of black body radiation. Hundreds of threads in the Protechmasta products are blended with special ceramic powders that generate FIR and also reflect the FIR that the equine emits naturally back into the body. FIR has beneficial therapeutic effects as a result of local hyperemia (excessive blood flow) and the positive heating impact which reduces muscle tension and, favourably, pain perception (due to increase of endorphin secretion), immunological reactions, acceleration of metabolism, and regulation of activity of autonomic nervous system in the aspect of controlling muscle tension. At the cellular level the mechanism of infrared radiation is based mainly on the interactions with water molecules.
Our Testers
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Ieuan Pritchard Equine Vet BVSC MRCVS “ All horses showed a marked improvement – they were much more relaxed and became less tense & stressed after wearing the Protechmasta Rug. The rug definitely helps muscle spasms, which will in turn reduce pain – it will help a horse be less tense and relax their muscles so they become ready to work properly without being stressed and knotted. In addition it helps after work – reducing inflammation of muscles which would have long term benefits. ” | Alice Oppenheimer International Grand Prix Dressage Rider “ Bracken aka Boadicia uses the Protechmasta rug everyday, she has it on once she comes in from the field and after exercise for at least one hour each time. She has suffered in the past from muscle stiffness after standing in her stable, this has significantly improved since she has been using the Protechmasta rug. She wears the wraps every day also, all the time she is in her stable. She is what I call a bit of a creaky horse and I have definitely noticed an improvement. I have been very impressed with it, I am the ultimate sceptic so not usually easily convinced but without a doubt it has helped her. | Ian Stark OBE Olympic Eventer and Course Designer “ For the last 2 days she had put the rug on for 4 hours and the improvement was incredible. The young horse worked really well on the flat and the head was very still, in addition the back didn’t pull up when I got on. We are going to keep doing this for the next couple of days to see if the improvement continues.
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Apendix:
1. The effect of heat and cold on tendon flexibility and force to flex the Human knee.’’
Medical Science Monitor - Aug 12 2013
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747018/#b10-medscimonit-19-661
2. “Using Heat Therapy”
The Horse 1998 Mimi Porter
Link: https://thehorse.com/14613/using-heat-therapy/
3. Biomedical Imaging Study - Tendonology
3. Equine: Warming up and cooling down
Equine Canine Physiotherapy, Anna Worthington
Link:
https://ashbournephysio.co.uk/meet-the-team/physiotherapist/ania-williamson/
4. Horse Anatomy for Performance
Gillian Higgins and Stephanie Martin pgs 56-60
5. Muscle Injury Detection and Therapies
Tracy Turner, Turner Equine Sports Medicine May 2017
Link:
https://www.turnerequinesportsmed.com/muscle-injury-detection-and-therapies/
6. An Overview of Equine Rehabilitation
Shera Williams and Mary Morales.
Link:
http://www.vetfolio.com/musculoskeletal/an-overview-of-equine-rehabilitation
