MUSCLE FATIGUE - HORSES- same application in HUMANS What makes performance horses "tie up"? While the answers to this question are still being debated, horsemen and researchers have made a number of discoveries which can be useful to anyone dealing with this potentially debilitating disorder. Most often, the culprit is identified as lactic acid, or lactate. Lactate is produced when not enough oxygen is available to help "burn" fuel for energy. Anaerobic metabolism, the kind used during high-intensity exercise, tends to produce large amounts of lactate. In the classic model of tying up, too much lactate produces lactic acidosis, a lowering of the pH in the muscles and the body at large, which reduces the efficiency of metabolism. Fatigue sets in, and excess lactate makes it difficult for the muscles to relax following contraction. Finally, a large muscle group or groups "seize up", staying in a prolonged state of contraction. In full blown tying up, the horse can not move. In incidents short of tying up, the muscles become extremely sore and tight for prolonged periods of time.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 18:39:18 +0000
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