New Ruling Limits Use of Shockwave Therapy

Extracorporeal (outside the body) shockwave therapy has been used with good effects to treat equine tendon injuries. However, according to a recent rule change, virtually all shockwave therapy is outlawed within three days of competition for all horses entered in any competition sanctioned by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

The FEI prohibits shockwave treatments within five days of competition, and racehorses at many venues must wait even longer after this therapy before running in a race. Shockwave treatment is effective for helping to heal soft tissue injuries in horses, so why is its use being limited before horses compete?

Bryan Waldridge, D.V.M., staff veterinarian at Kentucky Equine Research, explained that in shockwave therapy, intense pulses of pressure are applied to the injured area, causing microscopic tears in the tissue and stimulating the growth of new blood vessels. Tendons have very limited blood circulation compared to other body tissues, and this increased blood flow promotes healing.

Another effect is a several-day decrease in inflammation, swelling, and pain, an outcome that could allow a horse to work harder than it should because discomfort from an injury has been blocked. Racehorses running on an injured tendon might easily cause further tissue damage, leading to a longer healing time or even a catastrophic breakdown during exercise.

The new USEF rule does allow the use of shockwave therapy by or on the order of a veterinarian within 12 hours of competition, but the therapy must be limited to the horse’s back and pelvis.