Pain...Know
What's Real!
In humans, pain is considered the "fifth vital sign" that
all health care providers must assess. In humans, the normal method
of asking to label their pain from 1-10 is unreliable at best. In animals,
especially horses, assessing pain is near impossible.
Until now.
PainTrace™ is the first, objective indicator of pain and pain relief using a system known as a charge density pulse, a patented, totally non-invasive way to measure the skin's response to pain. Unlike the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and other monitors, PainTrace™ is inherently safe. No voltage is applied and like an ECG, it measures the potential amongst sensor sites on the skin.
PainTrace™ is also easy to operate and results are even easier to interpret. You will be able to see the effectiveness of the treatment option being used for your horse and if needed, the rate of activation for analgesics or other drugs. Monitoring a horse's condition will be made considerably more reliable with decisions to a return a horse to active training more accurate than before using PainTrace™.
If you are in charge of the well-being of horses as an owner, trainer,
or veterinarian, you have a tremendous responsibility maintaining the
health of the horse and the safety of the rider. PainTrace™ may
be the best investment you can make in both.
About PainTrace™
PainTrace™ was an accidental discovery of sorts versus a theory-led
invention. In actuality, PainTrace™ does not measure pain itself,
but rather the body's response to pain. Numerous studies over the course
of several years have shown that animals in substantial pain produce
a trace that is distinctly different than animals not in pain. Animals
suffering more than momentary pain tend to produce a trace that is below
the neutral baseline, in what we call the negative region. Most other
animals produce a “positive” trace above the baseline. Traces
right on the baseline are primarily associated with unconsciousness,
whether due to sleep or general anesthesia.
PainTrace™, as used in the veterinary industry, measures the natural electric charge of the skin (skin potential or SP) on both sides, using disposable self-adhering electrodes similar to those used in an ECG. A one minute measurement can determine the presence or absence of a signature asymmetrical shift which characterizes the response of the body’s autonomic nervous system to any type of moderate to severe pain lasting more than 20 minutes.