Page 599 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• encourages resolution of inflammation

• encourages the growth of new capillaries in the damaged tissue
VetBooks.ir • stimulates collagen synthesis

•
improves the alignment of collagen fibrils.

It is used for:
• muscle, ligament and tendon injuries

• to relieve muscle spasm

• treatment of stiff or arthritic joints

• encouraging resorption of haematomas after the first 48 hours
• improving blood flow through damaged tissue

• to increase the elasticity of scar tissue.

The ultrasound machine should only be used by an experienced operator. If used incorrectly,
it can cause serious overheating and damage to bone. Ultrasound should not be used over

tumours, open wounds, infected tissues, the brain, the eyes or the reproductive tract. Nor
should it be used to treat epiphyseal plates or fractures.

Summary

The appropriate use of physiotherapy assists the natural healing of the tissues. The quality of
the repaired tissue is optimized and in some cases this will improve the likelihood of the

horse returning to its previous type of work and level of performance.

EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE THERAPY (ESWT)

What is shock wave therapy?

Shock waves were used in human medicine over 20 years ago to break down kidney stones
(lithotripsy). More recently it has been shown to stimulate bone formation and ligament
healing. Thus it has proved a useful tool in the treatment of conditions such as tennis elbow,

plantar fasciitis and stress fractures in humans and a variety of conditions in the horse.

Shock waves are high-energy acoustic (sound) waves that build up to high amplitude in a
very short period of time. These shock waves travel through the tissues until they encounter
an interface between different types of tissue, e.g. soft tissue/bone. At the boundary between