Shock Wave Therapy Useful for Foals with Angular Limb Deformities

NEWMARKET, ENGLAND—Our British correspondent Mark Andrews MRCVS, reports on successful use of shock wave therapy to treat foals with angular limb deformities.

Writing in our sisten publication “EQUINE SCIENCE UPDATE”, Mark reported from the 2nd UK Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Users meeting, held as part of the recent British Equine Veterinary Association Congress in Harrogate UK, where Andy Bathe, a veterinary surgeon working at the Rossdales Equine Hospital, in Newmarket, England shared results of his study.

Bathe described how vets at the Newmarket practice have been using shock wave therapy (SWT) to treat angular limb deformities. He explained that the original idea came from Josef Boening, of the Telgte Equine Clinic in Germany. Boening had demonstrated, in experimental ponies, that SWT slowed the bone growth on the faster growing side. It did not cause long term damage to the bone.

Foals are treated under heavy sedation using a Swiss DolorClast shock wave generator. Last year, each course of treatment comprised 15 shocks a second at a pressure of 3 bar for a total of 3000 shocks. This year (2005) they modified the procedure, reducing the shocks to 1000 cycles at 2.5 bar for younger foals.

Each treatment takes less than five minutes. On average, three treatments a week apart are required. Bathe explains that they reassess the progress weekly. Treatment continues until the deviation is 4 degrees or less. Foals receive restricted exercise and corrective trimming as needed during treatment.

Of 23 foals treated with SWT for ALD at Rossdales Equine Hospital, all but one responded to SWT.

According to Mark’s report, SWT costs less than half that of a periosteal strip and less than a fifth the cost of the two operations needed to place and remove a transphyseal bridge.

A complete report has been published in ESU and will be included in Hoofcare #80. Click here to subscribe to ESU and read article. A subscription to ESU is very much worth the price.

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