Laser Therapy for Injuries in Equine Athletes

Injuries in equine athletes are difficult to treat, and they’re costly and stressful to owners and veterinarians alike. There’s a lot of energy and time spent on healing, from pain relief to diagnostic imaging to surgery, and it can all feel in vain with high rates of re-injury. Horses are beautiful animals, and anyone dedicated to their health and care wants to provide the best possible outcome from an injury.

Laser therapy is an option to include in treatment plans for injuries in equine athletes that helps speed up recovery time, reduce pain and inflammation, and reduce the formation of scar tissue. Laser therapy devices use red and near-infrared light wavelengths that are readily absorbed by skin, soft tissue, and bone that naturally increase the production of cellular energy. Laser therapy treatments help improve circulation and lymphatic drainage, allowing for faster resolution of painful inflammation.

Equine Injuries Treatable with Laser Therapy

Laser therapy can be used as part of a treatment plan to increase recovery time and reduce the severity of chronic issues in equine athletes, including:

• Tendon and ligament injuries
• Laminitis
• Inflammation around fractures
• Osteoarthritis
• External wound healing

Tendon & Ligament Injuries

Damage to the tendons and ligaments in a horse’s limbs is easily sustained by a single misstep, but the road to recovery can be long. One major issue with soft tissue injuries is the formation of scar tissue, which is weaker and more prone to breakage than normal tissue. Laser therapy has been shown to boost the production of collagen, a major component of soft tissues that make up tendons and ligaments. Additional, collagen alignment is improved by laser therapy treatments, leading to stronger tendons, and lowering development of scar tissue and chances for re-injury.

Laminitis

Laminitis is a serious condition caused by inflammation of the laminae in the feet that can lead to instability and rotation of the pedal bone. This painful condition can become chronic, as once an animal has had one bout of laminitis, they’re more prone to have more in the future. Laser therapy helps reduce the inflammation through vasodilation, or widening of the blood vessels, which allows inflammatory mediators into the injured area more quickly to resolve the issue.

Laminitis can be caused by overfeeding, but it’s also a potential sign of other serious issues that require immediate medical attention, such as retained placenta or septicaemic conditions. If you suspect this may be the case, resolve these immediately with a veterinarian or appropriate specialist.

Inflammation Around Fractures

Sometimes, before a major injury like a fracture can be fully assessed or treated, inflammation has to subside. Inflammation is also painful, especially for a large animal like a horse where laying down and getting up aren’t easy. Laser therapy can be used over areas of fracture to resolve inflammation faster and get treatment off on the right hoof.

Osteoarthritis

Inflammation is painful, but it is a natural response to damage, either by trauma or infection. But long-lasting inflammation can cause damage on its own. Osteoarthritis in horses affects their mobility, range of motion, and comfort, just as it does in humans. Laser therapy is an option to help reduce the pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis in humans and animals alike, improving range of motion and quality of life.

External Wound Healing

Since laser therapy boosts collagen production, it’s helpful in accelerating external wound healing. From nicks and scrapes to larger wounds and surgical incisions, laser therapy helps resolve wounds faster and produce less scar tissue.

Benefits of Laser Therapy for Horses

Laser therapy is beneficial for the reduction of pain and inflammation because it promotes a body’s natural healing processes instead of masking symptoms like anti-inflammatory medications. Additionally, laser therapy has no side effects or conflicts with other types of treatment, making it easy to fit into a complex treatment plan that’s common with equine athletes.

Perhaps most importantly for our animal patients, laser therapy is a painless treatment. Lasers used in this type of therapy don’t produce a thermal response, and with proper training and safety equipment, there is a very low risk of burns or other injury from treatment. While other aspects of veterinary care call for pokes and prods that animals aren’t thrilled with, laser therapy won’t cause discomfort. In fact, animals can start to feel relief immediately or shortly after treatment, and some begin to associate the relief with the treatment.

Interested in laser therapy for your equine and other large animal patients? Aspen Laser’s therapy systems come in a variety of wattages with the only true dual wavelength technology that makes treatment protocols completely customizable. And our Summit and Pinnacle models are lightweight and transportable, making it easy to get treatment to where your patients are. Click the link below to learn more about our laser therapy systems.