Effects of High Intensity Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Tendon and Ligament Injuries in Performance Horses

Photobiomodulation/Laser Therapy

Effects of High Intensity Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Tendon and Ligament Injuries in Performance Horses

  • October 4 2023
  • Companion Studies

Published: Animals (Basel). 2020 Jul 31;10(8):1327. PMID: 32751968 PMCID: PMC7459490 DOI: 10.3390/ani10081327

Keyword: high intensity laser therapy; horse; physiotherapy; ultrasound

Author(s): Paulina Zielińska, Jakub Nicpoń, Zdzisław Kiełbowicz, Maria Soroko, Krzysztof Dudek, Daniel Zaborski

 

Overview:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high intensity laser therapy (HILT) on tendon and ligament injury treatment in horses.

Materials/Methods:

  • Twenty-six horses with tendinopathies were randomly assigned to a HILT treated or to a non-treated group.

  • Each horse was subjected to the same rehabilitation program.

  • Horses from the treatment group underwent a series of fifteen HILT treatments with the same parameters.

  • Clinical and ultrasound assessments were performed by the same veterinarian and were carried out before (day 0), during (day 13-15) and after treatment (day 38-40).

  • Clinical evaluation included: pain, swelling and lameness of the affected limb.

  • The ultrasound examination evaluated lesion echogenicity and lesion percentage.

 

Results: 

  • After the treatment, pain, swelling and lameness were significantly improved by HILT compared with the control group (p = 0.023, 0.008 and 0.044, respectively).

  • No significant changes were found in lesion echogenicity degree between both groups in measurements taken during treatment (p = 0.188) and after treatment (p = 0.070).

  • For lesion percentage reduction, the statistical modelling showed a significant improvement in the HILT group compared with the control group during (p = 0.038) and after treatment (p = 0.019).

Conclusions: In conclusion, HILT promoted analgesic and anti-edema effects, with visual lameness reduction in horses with tendon and ligament injuries, and reduced lesion percentage but did not influence change in lesion echogenicity.