Shockwave Photo Gallery

Shockwave is a non-invasive treatment that uses high energy sound waves to stimulate pain relief, expedites healing and improves the quality of healing in wounds, ligaments, tendons and bony structures.  It is more properly called extracorporeal (extracorporeal = outside the body) shockwave therapy or is abbreviated ESWT.  Shock wave treatment can help your horse return to work more quickly, has more than a decade of clinical success behind it, and is covered by most equine medical insurance (usually up to 3 treatments).

Shockwave has been proven effective for treating such conditions as:

• Tendon and ligament injuries (Suspensory/Deep Digital Flexor Tendon)
• Bone Fractures (stress fractures/splints)
• OA/Joint inflammation and pain
• Foot Injuries (Desmitis/Navicular syndrome/Ringbone/Chronic Heel Pain)
• Wounds
• Back pain/Kissing spines

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy increases blood flow, increases growth of new blood vessels and increases the production of natural healing factors in the treated area which all result in improved speed and quality of tendon, ligament, bone and wound healing.

Your horse can be ridden prior to the treatment but it is best they not be worked hard. The horse should be done working no less than 1 hour to the appointment so that they are fully cooled out and relaxed at the time of the appointment. Please make sure they are reasonably clean (they do not need to be immaculate) and dry. 

Older shockwave machines often required sedation for therapy due to the intensity of the shockwaves produced. Fortunately we have the latest shockwave technology that does not require sedation.  If your horse is particularly painful however some light sedation may be needed. 

Treatments involve cleaning the target area, applying ultrasound gel to help conduction of the shockwaves and then applying a prescribed number of shocks to the target area. The number of shocks needs depends on the size of the area being treated as well as the target tissue and chronicity of the problem but generally ranges from 1,000 to 1,500. Treatment time is usually 3-5 minutes as shocks are applied at a rate of 350-450 per minute

This largely depends on the problem being treated but for the typical tendon/ligament injury a series of 3-6 treatments 2-3 weeks apart is common. 

No! There are several different methods of producing therapeutic shockwaves and they are not all the same.  The different types of shockwave generation are electrohydraulic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric, and radial. Electrohydraulic shockwave is the gold standard method for treating orthopedic/sports medicine indications. While other forms of shock wave exist, they are vastly different than the superiority of the electrohydraulic method – with significant limitations in terms of depth, focal area and more. We are pleased to offer the latest in shockwave technology with the Pulsvet VersaTron Shockwave Machine. 

 PulseVet’s VersaTron family of shock wave devices utilizes the electrohydraulic source to create the most effective shock waves for medical purposes.

• True shock waves generated for medical purposes consist of a dominant pressure pulse which climbs steeply to some tenths or even hundreds of Mega-Pascals (MPa; 1 MPa = 10 bar) within several nanoseconds (nanosecond = 1/billionth of a second) and then falls again within several microseconds (microsecond = 1/millionth of a second); this wave is followed by a weaker tensile wave portion lasting for several microseconds. Higher peak pressure than any other type.
• Utilizes a spark gap method: a capacitor that has been charged to a high voltage discharges electrical energy abruptly at the 1st focal point over two electrode tips located in water (underwater spark discharge). The shock wave created by the explosive evaporation of water is focused by an ellipsoid and finally releases its maximum energy at the 2nd focal point.
• The electrohydraulic technology delivers true shockwaves at ALL energy settings.
• Gold standard in shock wave as large focal area is designed for treating orthopedic conditions in animals. Unlike other types of shock waves designed for lithotripsy (where shock waves disintegrate kidney stones), electrohydraulic technology is designed to stimulate tissue and bone formation.

The electrohydraulic shock wave generation method is the ONLY method that generates a true shock wave at all energy settings.

• An electrical impulse is sent through an inductance coil, generating a magnetic field which repulses a metallic membrane. The acoustic impulse created by this repulsion is focused by an acoustic lens to form a shock wave.
• The electromagnetic method of shock wave generation requires an extensive water-based cooling system.
• Electromagnetic technology delivers smaller amounts of energy to a small focal area (not optimal for treating most orthopedic indications).

• Mechanical vibration of focused crystals that delivers a LOW energy pressure pulse.
• Ideal for SMALL focal area treatments only where precise energy in a small area is required (i.e. lithotripsy).
• Limits treatment opportunities (the shock wave that can only go so far).
• Offers similar results to pain management technologies you may already have (i.e. laser).
• Inconvenience of changing multiple gel pads to determine penetration depth.
  No published studies in veterinary medicine to validate efficacy.

(not a shock wave, but has been marketed as a shock wave)

• A radial device has an oscillating pneumatically-driven head that is applied directly to the tissue surface and mechanically impulses over the target tissue (similar to a jackhammer).
• True shock waves in medical terms are NOT created by this device.
• Maximum penetration is only 5mm (ideal for superficial indications only as energy dissipates at the surface).