Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an emerging new technology for treating musculoskeletal problems, soft tissue and bone injuries in horses and dogs. ESWT is non-invasive and used to stimulate healing, so that horses and dogs can return to a level of full fitness and useful activity without recurrence of disease. Shockwave stimulates the body’s own repair process by increasing the blood flow to affected areas, which accelerates healing and often results in quicker relief from pain. It also helps heal chronic inflammation, stimulates collagen, which connects and supports tissue, and also breaks up calcium deposits.

Shockwave therapy has been found to be most therapeutically beneficial treatment for injuries at the soft tissue-bone interface. These areas are often difficult to medicate, and unsuitable for surgery. Therefore, the non-invasive and focused attributes of ESWT have proved extremely valuable.