Shockwave Therapy

A Swiss DolarClast Shock Wave machine is available at Pool House Equine Clinic.

Shock Wave therapy (more correctly extracorporeal shock wave therapy) has been used for many years in the treatment of sports related injuries in human medicine. More recently this technology has been developed for use in the treatment of a number of equine injuries.

The ideas behind the benefit of shock wave therapy are that the waves massage tissues, cause a mild inflammatory response which ‘jump-starts’ the healing of quiescent damaged tissues, increases activity of certain cells involved in the healing process and numbs nerves resulting in a reduction of pain sensation.

Conditions affecting the insertion of ligaments onto bone are frequently responsive to shock wave therapy. In particular ‘high suspensory desmitis’ can be treated. Previously this condition could only be treated by prolonged periods of rest, sometimes in excess of two years and even after this there was frequent recurrence. Other conditions that frequently benefit from shock wave therapy include back pain, lesions originating from the navicular region and degenerative joint disease. It also has applications in the treatment of angular limb deformities in foals.

Shock Wave therapy can be useful in the treatment of sore backs.

The horse is usually sedated before treatment as shock wave therapy can be mildly uncomfortable. Three sessions of treatment spaced at two week intervals is the normal basic course of therapy accompanied by a controlled ascending exercise programme.

Shock wave therapy is available at Pool House Equine Clinic.