Shock wave therapy has proven to be one of the most effective treatments for injuries in Thoroughbreds. The high pressure, low frequency sound waves are applied to the area of injury to promote healing. This therapeutic method has had confirmed successful in healing ligament, tendon and bone injuries.
My own experience using shock wave therapy on an injured horse was a successful one. Sonny, a four-year-old Thoroughbred I rehabilitated in New Zealand had torn his tendon sheath in his left front leg. While the sheath had healed, large adhesions of scar tissue had formed as well. These adhesions had tightened the tendon, restricting movement and causing Sonny to be lame. Over a period of four months, I used a shock wave therapy system on his tendon every day. Coupled with the Shock Wave therapy, I would also ride Sonny immediately after removing the treatment. In this particular case, the goal was to break down the scar tissue and regain movement. The Shock Wave therapy would direct blood flow to the injured area so that the exercise after treatment would be more useful at breaking down the scar tissue.
Unsound horses at the racetrack are a danger to both horse and rider. Their careers at the racetrack are also jeopardized if soundness cannot be maintained. Emerging new therapies such as Shock Wave Therapy are among others used on humans which have also been found to be effective on horses. Shock Wave Therapy is able to speed up the body’s response to healing and is even now being applied to horses with cardiovascular and respiratory issues. The amount of time I devoted to rehabilitating Sonny with daily two hour Shock Wave treatments followed by riding, paid off. Sonny is now back at the racetrack, nearly two years after his injury and training well.
My own experience using shock wave therapy on an injured horse was a successful one. Sonny, a four-year-old Thoroughbred I rehabilitated in New Zealand had torn his tendon sheath in his left front leg. While the sheath had healed, large adhesions of scar tissue had formed as well. These adhesions had tightened the tendon, restricting movement and causing Sonny to be lame. Over a period of four months, I used a shock wave therapy system on his tendon every day. Coupled with the Shock Wave therapy, I would also ride Sonny immediately after removing the treatment. In this particular case, the goal was to break down the scar tissue and regain movement. The Shock Wave therapy would direct blood flow to the injured area so that the exercise after treatment would be more useful at breaking down the scar tissue.
Unsound horses at the racetrack are a danger to both horse and rider. Their careers at the racetrack are also jeopardized if soundness cannot be maintained. Emerging new therapies such as Shock Wave Therapy are among others used on humans which have also been found to be effective on horses. Shock Wave Therapy is able to speed up the body’s response to healing and is even now being applied to horses with cardiovascular and respiratory issues. The amount of time I devoted to rehabilitating Sonny with daily two hour Shock Wave treatments followed by riding, paid off. Sonny is now back at the racetrack, nearly two years after his injury and training well.