ESWT Horses Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Device

Descriptions of Smartwave Extracorporeal shockwave therapy device for raising mechanical nociceptive threshold in horses with thoracolumbar pain

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been implemented as a treatment for musculoskeletal injuries in horses. ESWT uses acoustic waves applied to a region of injury, and has been shown to improve lameness, decrease time of healing and improve ultrasonographic appearance of tendon and ligament injuries.

In veterinary medicine, shock waves have achieved great success under most conditions of the horse:

• wound healing
• Navicular disease
• Tendons, ligaments and other soft tissue injuries
• Muscle pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Tibial stress fracture
• Bucked shins
• Impinging dorsal spinous processes (withers)
• Proximal sesamoid bone fractures
• Incomplete long pastern fractures
• Subchondral bone pain
• Angular limb deformities

Since 1999, this technology has been widely and thoroughly studied and proven to be an effective and extremely beneficial form of treatment for several different kinds of injuries. Shock wave therapy uses sound energy, which has the ability to accurately penetrate deep into tissue to reach the point of concern. Unlike in other kinds of regenerative treatments, such as laser therapy, energy is not lost at the surface of the tissue with shockwave technology. This noninvasive treatment can not only shorten the healing period by about fifty percent, but also has an analgesic effect which helps with pain management. Using shock wave therapy can also reduce the need for pain medications, thereby reducing the risk of ulcers which may form as a side effect of those pain medications and reducing the cost associated with those medications. On top of that, PulseVet shock wave is covered by equine medical insurance!

This fast treatment is administered by a licensed veterinarian and requires light to no sedation depending on the horse’s sensitivity to noise (the pulses emitted by the shockwave machine can be quite loud, and mildly uncomfortable). The typical suspensory injury requires only three treatments administered approximately two weeks apart. Many top sports medicine veterinarians now choose to combine ESWT with PRP or stem cell therapy to enhance the benefits of both modalities.

Smartwave shock wave technology can be used to treat a variety of injuries, and is also the perfect maintenance tool to optimize movement and manage areas of chronic concern, such as back and heel pain, keeping your equine athlete happy, healthy, and ready to perform.