Much like people, horses are prone to injury and muscle strain. Sometimes this can mean suffering from serious tendon or ligament lesion damage. This type of injury can cause muscular swelling, lameness and pain during daily activity – often making a horse owner wonder, “Can I help?”
As an equine wellness advocate, it’s a question that I try to help horse owners answer. In May of this year I came across a show jumping mare suffering from a tear in her superficial digital flexor tendon. This painful injury was causing the mare muscular inflammation and crippling lameness, confining her to the stall. News of the injury came as a devastating blow to owner and rider, Rebecca – She had hopes set on qualifying for the WCHR finals at Capital Challenge before the age of 15.
An assessment from the veterinarian projected that the horse wouldn’t be able to train again until March 2015. This official prognosis crushed Rebecca’s dreams of qualifying for junior hunters during the upcoming summer months, but most importantly, she was concerned about the health of her long-time jumping partner.
Desperate to help, the vet started to actively looking for a solution. Eventually, that led to a connection between the vet and I. After hearing about the situation of Rebecca and her mare I recommended the use of Cytowave Equine Therapy, a groundbreaking treatment that accelerates soft tissue growth and repair. I asked the vet if she’d like to conduct a trial run of the treatment because I genuinely believed that it would accelerate the closure of the lesion. Excited by the prospect of helping Rebecca’s mare, the vet agreed.
When I assessed the mare, it was noticeable how much discomfort she was in. She displayed the typical symptoms of tendon damage, which include heat, pain and swelling. Under my guidance, we began a 30-day therapy program for just an hour a day – I was hopeful that this would significantly reduce the symptoms after 7 days.
Under my direction, Rebecca learned how to treat her mare. Application is as simple as wrapping the injured area of the horse with the applicator blanket, securing it with the soft Velcro straps, and then selecting the recommended treatment program. The ease of use allowed Rebecca to take the health of the mare into her own hands.
Cytowave healing timeline
Cytowave healing timeline compared to traditional therapy
In as little as 2 weeks the mare was back to walking under tack and jogging, and remarkably, by week 11 she was cantering under tack with ease. Rebecca was overjoyed at the results; it meant that they could resume training for a series of show jumping competitions during the summer. In just 2 ½ months after the injury, the mare was already in the rehabilitation process, with absolutely no trace of damage.
A recovery story like Rebecca and her mare is not uncommon for Cytowave users. The treatment works by taking the natural healing signals produced by the horse as part of the recovery process, and amplifies them to focus on the site of injury. This method of targeted healing accelerates repair on the cellular level, encouraging the growth and recovery of soft tissue. This non-invasive treatment can take the 12-14 month lesion closure period and bring it down to just 3-5 weeks, without having a negative effect on your horse.
Proactive horse owners trust Cytowave to restore the health of their horse in the same way that Rebecca helped her mare heal. The treatment gives horse owners the ability to naturally heal lesions, and the capability to strengthen soft tissue fibers to prevent future damage. When you decide to take an active approach in your horse’s health, always ensure that treatment moves forward at the pace of your horse, and that they are given ample time to rest and rehabilitate.
Richard Parker is the founder and owner of Cytowave Equine Therapy. His background in software engineering and electrical engineering led to the research and development behind the groundbreaking soft tissue repair treatment. www.cytowave.com.