Investigation of the immediate analgesic effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for treatment of navicular disease in horses.

The research conducted attempts to evaluate the immediate pain-relieving effects of a type of therapy, known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), in horses suffering from navicular disease. The results suggest that this type of therapy does not have a significant effect on lameness in horses with this condition.

Research Methodology

• The research was a prospective study involving nine privately owned horses suffering from unilateral forelimb lameness as a result of navicular disease.
• The horses were made to trot at a speed of 3 m/s over a force plate to note down the pre-treatment ground reaction forces (GRF) of the lame and non-lame forelimbs.
• After applying ESWT on the lame limb, the GRF measurements were repeated at 15-minute and 24-hour intervals over a seven-day period.
• The therapy was applied using a radial unit to each of the frog and heel bulb areas with 1500 pulses at 4 bar and 10 Hz.
• The peak vertical force (PVF) was determined from five trials at each time and then averaged.
• These data were compared between the limbs and over time using a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA.

Key Findings

• A significant difference was found in the PVF between the lame (day 1; 4339+/-626 N) and non-lame (day 1; 5236+/-515 N) limbs prior to treatment.
• This difference remained the same at 15-minute intervals and from days 1 to 7 after ESWT treatment.
• To corroborate the diagnosis of navicular disease, palmar digital analgesia considerably lowered the lameness. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in force between the lame (5144+/- 430 N) and non-lame (5082+/- 586 N) limbs.

Conclusions

• The study concluded that a single application of ESWT does not measurably impact lameness in horses affected by navicular disease.
• The researchers also suggested that the existing regulations by many equine regulatory commissions that prohibit the use of ESWT before a race may be unsubstantiated, based on these findings.
• They concluded that more research is needed to ascertain the long-term pain-relieving properties of this commonly used treatment option in equine athletes.