Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) does not appear to improve lameness in horses with chronic pain in the proximal palmar metacarpal/plantar metatarsal area, but researchers maintain that banning ESWT before competition to prevent or minimize the occurrence of catastrophic injuries is a sensible precaution until further research is performed.

ESWT is widely used to treat proximal suspensory desmitis (inflammation of the suspensory ligament). It is thought to improve lameness by inducing the release of cytokines (inflammatory mediators) that can result in tissue remodeling. But some research suggests it can also result in an analgesic effect. Because of this, most racing jurisdictions do not permit the use of ESWT immediately prior to competition.

To further investigate this, Michael Weishaupt, DMV, from the Equine Hospital at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, co-authored the recent study, "Short term analgesic effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in horses with proximal palmar metacarpal/plantar metatarsal pain."

Weishaupt and colleagues evaluated the analgesic effect of ESWT, as well as the impact of ESWT on lameness due to chronic pain in the proximal suspensory ligament region of 16 horses