Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) significantly reduces lameness in horses with osteoarthritis, but it does not alter the course of disease, reported researchers from the Equine Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University. They said ESWT could prove to be a valuable tool in the management of osteoarthritis, particularly if used in combination with another treatment modality capable of affecting the disease process.

ESWT is non-invasive medical procedure that generates pulses of sound that travel through the skin. In horses, ESWT is used for the management of soft tissue injuries, as well as inflamed or arthritic joints.

To evaluate ESWT in horses with osteoarthritis, David Frisbie, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, and colleagues evaluated 24 horses, each with osteoarthritis induced in one knee. The researchers split these horses into three groups: an ESWT group, an ESWT placebo group (did not receive treatment), and a third group that received polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG). ESWT was performed two times (on days 14 and 28 post-operatively) and PSGAG was administered intramuscularly every four days for 28 days.

The researchers looked at degree of lameness and synovial fluid analysis, as well as the gross and microscopic evaluation of the cartilage and synovial membranes