Survey of veterinarians' usage and satisfaction with intra-articular polyacrylamide gel in horses.
Authors: Pluim Mathilde, Frippiat Thibault
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Intra-articular Polyacrylamide Gel in Equine Practice Intra-articular polyacrylamide gel represents an emerging option for managing chronic joint disease in horses, yet clinical adoption protocols remain inconsistent across practitioners. Pluim and Frippiat surveyed 160 equine veterinarians (primarily sports medicine specialists) through professional colleges and social media to characterise current usage patterns, treatment approaches, and clinical satisfaction with this intervention. The majority of respondents (87.1%) deployed the gel primarily for chronic synovitis and osteoarthritis, with 83.6% using it specifically when conventional joint treatments had failed; practitioners reported variable rehabilitation protocols and injection techniques, though most horses returned to full exercise by week 4 post-treatment, with complications remaining uncommon and median satisfaction rated 8/10. Whilst response bias and the orthopedic focus of participants limit generalisability, the consistently favourable outcomes and low adverse event rates suggest polyacrylamide gel warrants further investigation through standardised clinical trials and the development of evidence-based post-injection rehabilitation guidelines—information that would help farriers, physiotherapists and nutritionists optimise their support for treated horses during the critical recovery window.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Intra-articular polyacrylamide gel shows good clinical acceptance for chronic joint problems, particularly when other treatments have failed—consider as part of your therapeutic toolkit for osteoarthritis cases
- •Expect variable recovery timelines and outcomes across your peer group; standardized post-treatment rehabilitation protocols are needed to optimize results
- •Low complication rates reported suggest this is a relatively safe intervention, but lack of standardized guidelines means you'll need to develop your own evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation approach
Key Findings
- •87.1% of veterinarians used polyacrylamide gel primarily for chronic synovitis/osteoarthritis, with 83.6% using it after failure of prior joint treatments
- •Most respondents reported return to full exercise by week 4 post-treatment
- •Complete recovery, partial improvement, or transient improvement were commonly observed, with rare complications or worsening (median satisfaction 8/10)
- •Treatment protocols and rehabilitation plans varied significantly among practitioners based on experience and disciplinary focus