EXTRACORPOREAL shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been one of the mainstay adjunctive therapies of musculoskeletal injuries for some time in horses, and is becoming increasingly popular as more practices provide the service and the machines become more readily available. Its ability to enhance the body's own reparative processes in a safe and non-invasive manner is seen as a huge advantage.
Originally developed as a method of lithotripsy treatment to break up kidney and bladder stones - in human medicine, the shock waves were found to have the unexpected benefit of resulting in increased bone density of the pelvis.
This increase in