Regenerative Laser Therapy

By Dr. Britt Mills DVM

Performance and pleasure horses are prone to soft tissue injuries. Sometimes these are superficial wounds and other times tendons and ligaments are injured, profoundly affecting the horse’s career.

orses are flight creatures and evolution has provided them with an ability to “heal quickly”their injuries will heal to allow them to resume basic function as fast as possible but often the repair is not optimal for long term soundness. Much of equine performance medicine is dedicated to assisting repair mechanisms so that a horse can return to its previous level of work.

One of the more interesting therapies to come along has been class 4 laser therapy, and more recently, regenerative laser therapy. It is a noninvasive way to speed up wound healing, treat acute injuries and now treat chronic tendon and ligament injuries. The two types of class 4 laser, therapy laser and regenerative laser, have different characteristics.

Therapy lasers

Therapy lasers in general are class 3b or 4. Classes of laser are based on the amount of energy emitted per minute. For a laser to be effective in horses, who often need large areas treated, a class 4 laser is most often used. A 3b laser may be used in very specific applications, such as stimulation of acupuncture points. When the laser is applied to injured tissue, a single wavelength of light penetrates through the skin into underlying tissue. The amount of laser light reaching the deep tissues depends on the wavelength and the tissue being treated. When the photons of light enter the cells, they stimulate blood flow, tissue oxygenation, cellular energy, natural repair mechanisms and collagen production. All these effects will speed up the healing process. Therapy lasers will often vary the wavelength during the treatment and will often be pulsed to increase effectiveness. Therapy lasers are excellent for acute injuries and wounds. They have a sterilizing effect as well which makes them particularly useful in barn environments and for post-surgical treatments.

Regenerative lasers

Recently regenerative lasers have been developed which have all the benefits of therapy lasers with an added mechanism, a photomechanical pulse that stimulates the scaffolding between the cells known as the “extracellular matrix.” This stimulates healing of tendons and ligaments and prevents excessive scarring. The treatment provides a shockwavelike effect along with the benefits of laser. One can think of a therapy laser stimulating the normal healing process and the regenerative laser as revitalizing and realigning tissues that would not normally heal properly on their own. In a double-blind study, the regenerative laser decreased healing time of tendons by more than 2 weeks, and the final strength and alignment was better on the laser treated horses. Suspensory injuries, deep digital flexor injuries, splint bone fractures and check ligament

Hinjuries can all be good candidates for regenerative laser therapy.

Another area where regenerative lasers are being used is for preand post-performance treatment to prevent injuries. Typically, one or two treatments are performed prior to competition which are tailored to the specific discipline in which the horse competes. It has been shown in humans that laser therapy prior to competition in athletes will prevent injuries. In horses, lasering the large muscles of the trunk and back will increase oxygenation and ability of the muscles to contract, improving the gait and preventing lower limb injury. The photomechanical pulse effect of the therapy laser can assist in myofascial release.

Multiple laser treatments are needed to treat chronic injuries, (depending on duration, 12 to 24 treatments may be needed) and some injuries, especially very old ones, will not respond well to laser. Other treatment modalities such as PRP, shockwave, and joint injections can be used along with laser but make sure you let your vet know because timing of treatments can be affected. Regenerative laser therapy is only available through veterinarians.

Currently the only regenerative laser in the Okanagan is at Mills Veterinary Services in Armstrong BC. We offer regenerative laser packages, PEMF therapy, vibration plate therapy, and of course acupuncture and chiropractic services for horses.