Force platform evaluation of lameness severity following extracorporeal shock wave therapy in horses with unilateral forelimb lameness.
Authors: Dahlberg, McClure, Evans, Reinertson
Journal: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Summary
# Editorial Summary Between baseline and post-treatment assessments, nine horses with unilateral forelimb lameness underwent force platform gait analysis to quantify changes in weight-bearing following extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), with measurements taken at 8 hours, daily for 7 days, and compared against a local anaesthetic control to establish a pain-free baseline. Force platform data revealed statistically significant increases in both peak vertical force and vertical impulse at 8 hours and 2 days post-ESWT compared to baseline measurements, with day 2 values approaching those recorded under local anaesthesia—indicating substantial functional improvement. However, vertical impulse remained significantly lower than the anaesthetised state throughout the monitoring period, suggesting incomplete resolution of lameness despite the acute therapeutic response. These findings demonstrate that ESWT produces a reliable but time-limited window of improved load-bearing capacity, typically resolving within 2 days, which has direct implications for post-treatment management; enforcing strict exercise restriction for a minimum of 48 hours becomes critical to minimise the risk of secondary injury whilst the tissues are in this vulnerable recovery phase and the horse may overload a still-healing structure.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •ESWT produces measurable short-term improvement in forelimb lameness (2 days maximum), so strict stall rest or controlled hand-walking is essential during this window to avoid re-injury when horses feel better but tissues are still healing
- •Force platform gait analysis provides objective evidence of treatment response and can guide rehabilitation timelines more accurately than visual lameness scoring alone
- •The acute improvement phase is temporary—follow-up assessments and longer-term monitoring are needed to determine if benefits persist beyond day 2 or if multiple treatments are required
Key Findings
- •Peak vertical force significantly increased 8 hours and 2 days post-ESWT compared to baseline, with day 2 values approaching those achieved by local anesthesia
- •Vertical impulse significantly increased 8 hours and 2 days after ESWT but remained significantly lower than values measured after local anesthesia at all time points
- •Acute improvement in lameness severity following ESWT typically persists for 2 days before returning toward baseline
- •Exercise restriction for a minimum of 2 days post-ESWT is recommended to prevent further injury during the acute improvement phase