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

Objectives-To measure the acute analgesic properties of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in horses with navicular disease using objective ground reaction forces (GRF). Study Design-Prospective study. Animals-Nine client-owned horses with unilateral forelimb lameness caused by navicular disea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary surgery 2005-11, Vol.34 (6), p.554-558
Main Authors: Brown, K.E, Nickels, F.A, Caron, J.P, Mullineaux, D.R, Clayton, H.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
analgesia
Analgesia - methods
Analgesia - veterinary
Analgesics
Analysis of Variance
Animal diseases
Animals
extracorporeal shock wave therapy
Foot Diseases - therapy
Foot Diseases - veterinary
forces
Forelimb
forelimbs
ground reaction forces
High-Energy Shock Waves - therapeutic use
horse
Horse Diseases - therapy
Horses
kinetics
lameness
Lameness, Animal - therapy
medical treatment
navicular disease
peak vertical force
Prospective Studies
Tarsal Bones
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Objectives-To measure the acute analgesic properties of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in horses with navicular disease using objective ground reaction forces (GRF). Study Design-Prospective study. Animals-Nine client-owned horses with unilateral forelimb lameness caused by navicular disease. Methods-Horses were trotted at 3 m/s over a force plate to record pre-treatment GRF of the lame and contra-lateral forelimbs. After ESWT of the lame limb, applied with a radial unit to each of the frog and heel bulb areas with 1500 pulses at 4 bar and 10 Hz, GRF measurements were repeated at 15 minutes and 24-hour intervals for 7 days. From the 5 trials recorded at each time, peak vertical force (PVF) was calculated and averaged. Data were compared between limbs and over time using a 2-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Results-Mean (+/- SD) PVF was significantly different between lame (day 1; 4339 +/- 626 N) and contra-lateral (day 1; 5236 +/- 515 N) limbs pre-treatment (P.05). Conclusions-Single ESWT treatment applied in this manner does not influence lameness in horses with navicular disease. Clinical Relevance-Although many equine regulatory commissions currently ban the use of ESWT before competition, our results suggest that such regulations may be unfounded. Further research is required to determine the long-term analgesic properties of this frequently used treatment modality in equine athletes.
ISSN:0161-3499
1532-950X
DOI:10.1111/j.1532-950X.2005.00087.x