Determination of functional and morphologic changes in palmar digital nerves after nonfocused extracorporeal shock wave treatment in horses.
Abstract: To determine functional and morphologic changes in palmar digital nerves after nonfocused extracorporeal shock wave (ESW) treatment in horses. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: The medial and lateral palmar digital nerves of the left forelimb were treated with nonfocused ESWs. The medial palmar digital nerve of the right forelimb served as a nontreated control nerve. At 3, 7, and 35 days after treatment, respectively, 2 horses each were anesthetized and nerves were surgically exposed. Sensory nerve conduction velocities (SNCVs) of treated and control nerves were recorded, after which palmar digital neurectomies were performed. Morphologic changes in nerves were assessed via transmission electron microscopy. Results: Significantly lower SNCV in treated medial and lateral nerves, compared with control nerves, was found 3 and 7 days after treatment. A significantly lower SNCV was detected in treated medial but not lateral nerves 35 days after treatment. Transmission electron microscopy of treated nerves revealed disruption of the myelin sheath with no evidence of damage to Schwann cell bodies or axons, 3, 7, and 35 days after treatment. Conclusions: Nonfocused ESW treatment of the metacarpophalangeal area resulted in lower SNCV in palmar digital nerves. This effect likely contributes to the post-treatment analgesia observed in horses and may result in altered peripheral pain perception. Horses with preexisting lesions may be at greater risk of sustaining catastrophic injuries when exercised after treatment.
Publication Date: 2005-01-06 PubMed ID: 15631039DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.2004.65.1714Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigates the effect of a non-focused extracorporeal shock wave (ESW) treatment on the palmar digital nerves of horses, discovering that the treatment led to lower sensory nerve conduction velocities (SNCV) and disruption of the myelin sheath in these nerves.
Research Method:
- Six horses were involved in the study and the medial and lateral palmar digital nerves of their left forelimb were exposed to non-focused ESW treatment.
- The right forelimb’s medial palmar digital nerve of each horse was left untreated to serve as a control.
- After treatment, horses were anesthetized at different points, specifically at 3, 7, and 35 days, and their nerves were surgically exposed.
- After the surgical exposure, the SNCVs of the treated and control nerves were recorded. Following the recording, palmar digital neurectomies were carried out.
- Morphological changes in the nerves were observed using transmission electron microscopy to investigate any tissue level changes.
Results:
- The results showed significant reduction in SNCV in the treated medial and lateral nerves compared to the control ones, 3 and 7 days post-treatment.
- A reduced SNCV was noted in the treated medial nerves, but not evident in lateral nerves, 35 days after treatment.
- The electron microscopy revealed a disruption in the myelin sheath of the treated nerves, with no evident damage to Schwann cell bodies or axons, noted at all three observation points.
Conclusions:
- The findings revealed that non-focused ESW treatment of the metacarpophalangeal area caused a reduction in SNCV in the palmar digital nerves.
- This reduction could potentially contribute to the analgesic effect noticed in horses post-treatment and might result in altered peripheral pain perception.
- Horses with preexisting medical conditions or lesions could possibly face greater risks of severe injuries when subjected to exercise after undergoing this treatment.
Cite This Article
APA
Bolt DM, Burba DJ, Hubert JD, Strain GM, Hosgood GL, Henk WG, Cho DY.
(2005).
Determination of functional and morphologic changes in palmar digital nerves after nonfocused extracorporeal shock wave treatment in horses.
Am J Vet Res, 65(12), 1714-1718.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2004.65.1714 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Health Studies Program, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Analgesia / methods
- Animals
- Female
- Forelimb / innervation
- High-Energy Shock Waves / therapeutic use
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / veterinary
- Neural Conduction / physiology
- Neurons, Afferent / physiology
- Peripheral Nerves / physiology
- Peripheral Nerves / surgery
- Peripheral Nerves / ultrastructure
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Qiu Z, Wang J, Zhang Y, Liu X, Wei C, Ma T. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for equine musculoskeletal disorders: from biological mechanisms to clinical applications. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1719123.
- Hsu CC, Wu KLH, Peng JM, Wu YN, Chen HT, Lee MS, Cheng JH. Low-energy extracorporeal shockwave therapy improves locomotor functions, tissue regeneration, and modulating the inflammation induced FGF1 and FGF2 signaling to protect damaged tissue in spinal cord injury of rat model: an experimental animal study. Int J Surg 2024 Dec 1;110(12):7563-7572.
- Mille MA, McClement J, Lauer S. Physiotherapeutic Strategies and Their Current Evidence for Canine Osteoarthritis. Vet Sci 2022 Dec 21;10(1).
- Boström A, Bergh A, Hyytiäinen H, Asplund K. Systematic Review of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine in Sport and Companion Animals: Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 12;12(22).
- Chen L, Qing A, Zhu T, Yang P, Ye L. Effect and safety of extracorporeal shockwave therapy for postherpetic neuralgia: A randomized single-blind clinical study. Front Neurol 2022;13:948024.
- Peng D, Tan Y, Reed-Maldonado AB, Lin G, Lue TF. Molecular Mechanism of Action of Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Regenerating Penile and Peripheral Nerves. Turk J Urol 2022 Sep;48(5):354-362.
- Guo J, Hai H, Ma Y. Application of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in nervous system diseases: A review. Front Neurol 2022;13:963849.
- Ryskalin L, Morucci G, Natale G, Soldani P, Gesi M. Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Pain-Relieving Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy: A Focus on Fascia Nociceptors. Life (Basel) 2022 May 17;12(5).
- Wuerfel T, Schmitz C, Jokinen LLJ. The Effects of the Exposure of Musculoskeletal Tissue to Extracorporeal Shock Waves. Biomedicines 2022 May 6;10(5).
- Lee JH, Lee S, Choi S, Choi YH, Lee K. The effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on the pain and function of patients with degenerative knee arthritis. J Phys Ther Sci 2017 Mar;29(3):536-538.
- Lee JH, Cho SH. Effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on denervation atrophy and function caused by sciatic nerve injury. J Phys Ther Sci 2013 Sep;25(9):1067-9.
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