Benefits of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Horses
- Posted by Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
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Classified among physical therapy/rehabilitation techniques, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) remains an important tool for helping manage a variety of equine conditions/injuries. Issues amenable to ESWT in horses include, but are not limited to:
- Tendinopathy/tendinitis, a leading cause of injury in athletic horses;
- Desmitis (ligament injuries, inflammation), especially where ligaments insert onto bone (e.g., chronic injury/inflammation of the suspensory ligament located at the back of the cannon bone);
- Osteoarthritis (OA, degenerative joint disease), including bone spavin (OA of the lower hock joint);
- Bone injuries such as stress fractures of the outer portion of the cannon bone (dorsal cortical stress fractures) and incomplete fractures of the sesamoid bones;
- Navicular disease or, more accurately, podotrochleitis; and
- Deep muscle pain.
Learn more about ESWT by downloading your free copy of this fact sheet!
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Written by:
Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.
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