Abstract
To define which biologic, electrophysical and other modalities are used in horses for injury or performance issues, a questionnaire regarding 38 modalities was distributed to eight veterinary groups. A total of 305 complete or partial responses were obtained from over 10 geographic regions; 75.4% from private equine practice or regional private equine referral hospitals, 14.1% from university teaching hospitals or satellite clinics, 8.2% from private mixed animal practice, and 2.3% from veterinary rehabilitation centers. The majority of respondents were located in the USA (60%), Europe (25.6%), and Canada (5.6%). Respondents reported working with athletic horses primarily in the disciplines of hunter-jumper (26.9%), dressage (16.0%), and pleasure riding (14.7%), followed by Western riding, track racing, and eventing. Warmbloods (39.7%) were the predominant breed presenting to respondents, followed by Thoroughbreds (20.3%) and Quarter Horses (17.3%) ahead of other breeds. All 38 modalities were used by respondents. The 10 most prominently utilized were controlled hand walking (97.3%), therapeutic shoeing (96.1%), ice (95.2%), compression bandaging (89.5%), platelet rich plasma (PRP; 86.5%), therapeutic exercises (84.3%), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein therapy (IRAP; 81.4%), stretching (83.3%), and cold water hydrotherapy (82.9%). Heat (77.6%), massage (69.0%), and acupuncture (68.3%) were also commonly utilized. The least prominently used modalities were hyperbaric oxygen therapy (9.4%), cytowave (8.3%), and radiofrequency (6.4%). Injectable modalities (IRAP, PRP, mesotherapy, stem cells) were almost solely administered by veterinarians; other modalities were variably applied by veterinarians, technicians, veterinary assistants, farriers, physical therapists, trainers, and other entities. A total of 33% of respondents reported working collaboratively with physical therapists on equine patients. Findings indicate that a broad range of invasive and non-invasive modalities are used in equine patients to address a variety of rehabilitation and performance needs, and that personnel with varying levels of expertise are involved in their administration. This suggests that further investigation to better define the delivery, efficacy and any negative effects of many of these modalities is important.
Highlights
In the last two decades, the practice of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation has progressively developed into a large and focused field of specialized equine practice [1,2,3]
The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) was approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2010 and currently comprises over 100 equine interest diplomates and veterinarians in residency training programs distributed across multiple countries
Since clearly a wide array of rehabilitation modalities are available to current day practitioners, the objective of this study was to determine which modalities are commonly used in equine practice by surveying a number of national and international equine veterinary groups containing members practicing equine sports medicine and rehabilitation
Summary
In the last two decades, the practice of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation has progressively developed into a large and focused field of specialized equine practice [1,2,3]. Reflecting this phenomenon is the growth of organized training programs, and the consolidation of expert practitioners into groups with objectives that include sharing of and furthering knowledge in this field. Other national and international groups contain practitioners who utilize rehabilitation modalities in equine practice, including the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology (ISELP, established 2007) with over 600 members, and the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians (AARV). In 2016 the American Veterinary Medical Association published a resolution for the incorporation of Complementary Alternative Veterinary Medicine into the veterinary curriculum, which encompasses commonly used rehabilitation modalities such as acupuncture and chiropractic treatment [5]
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