Equine sports medicine is the branch of veterinary medicine that focuses on managing the equine athlete before, during, and after competition – and while rehabilitating from injury. It includes the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiac, and metabolic issues related to exercise.
Within sports medicine evaluations, it’s critical to assess the ability of the horse to take in oxygen through the nose, to effectively deliver that oxygen to muscles via a properly working circulatory system, and to move legs efficiently and painlessly via a properly functioning central nervous system. Sports medicine evaluations can include lameness examinations, respiratory evaluations, cardiac evaluations, diagnostic nerve blocks, ultrasound, radiography, endoscopy, laboratory testing, gait analysis, drug testing, back therapeutics ,joint injections, regenerative therapies (IRAP, PRP, bone marrow), adjunct therapies (laser, acupuncture, chiropractic), shock wave therapy , nuclear scintigraphy, MRI, and rehabilitation consultations.
