Over the past decade, physical therapy tools have gained a place of respect in the management of equine injuries. As we move toward the 21st Century, a medical philosophy is blossoming based on advice from Hippocrates, a physician who lived in 400 BC. Although he is known for his admonition to doctors to “First, do no harm,” Hippocrates also is quoted as having said, “Honor the healing power of nature.”

Physical therapy tools stimulate the natural healing power in the cells of the body. One tool uses the energy of light, called photon energy, to stimulate the activity of certain cell components. By using photo energy, the veterinarian or the horse owner has a simple, effective, non-pharmacologic medical alternative. Conservative management of acute and chronic injuries and post-operative wounds has come to include the use of photo energy because it is quickly effective, cost effective, and easy to administer.

What Is Photo Energy?

Light is energy in the form of radiation. It moves in wave formation and is characterized by its wavelength. Light forms a small part of the continuous spectrum we call the electromagnetic spectrum. Other wavelengths are found in this spectrum of radiation-radio and TV waves, X rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays, to name a few. Therapeutic photo energy utilizes wavelengths that are found just outside the visible red portion of the light spectrum, in the infrared region