Evaluation of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) to increase sole growth
Take Home Message: There are few treatments or methods to increase hoof growth in horses. ESWT applied to the coronary band resulted in increased sole depth following two repeated treatments
Introduction: ESWT has been used for a variety of musculoskeletal abnormalities. Limited evidence has been available to date on the use of ESWT on hoof disorders.
Materials and Methods: 10 barefoot horses were evaluated for hoof growth radiographically over three six-week trimming periods. After the first trim period horses were randomized to either ESWT treatment or sham treatment. ESWT or sham were applied at the second and third trim to the coronary bands of the front hooves. The ESWT dose was 1200 pulses delivered using a 20mm trode. Treatment success for sole depth was defined as growth in a treatment trim period that was greater than growth in the untreated trim period.
Results: ESWT was well tolerated when applied at the coronary band with mild sedation (acepromazine 0.04 mg/kg IV). 100% of ESWT hooves were treatment success, while 50% of sham treated hooves were treatment success (p-value = 0.0033) after the second treatment. Controlled for baseline hoof growth, ESWT hooves increased growth after the second treatment (2.7 mm ± 2.8 SD) in comparison to sham (0.1 mm ± 3.3) (p-value = 0.1096).
Discussion: Clinically and statistically significant increases in sole depth were found following application of ESWT to the coronary bands twice, six weeks apart. Small increases over the normal growth rate are highly relevant for a structure where millimeters of growth have strong clinical impacts on lameness.
