Richard Doran, D.V.M., M.S., Diplomate ACVS

The benefits of cold therapy, especially ice and cold water, have been recognized for decades.  Applying ice or cold packs to actue injuries is well accepted as the treatment of choice for all athletes.  We have all witnessed professional football players laying in ice tubs or seen baseball pitchers with ice packs stacked on their shoulders and elbows in an effort to keep them performing at the top level.  Our equine counter parts have historically been subjected to a variety of cold wraps and bandages.

Simply stated, cold therapy works by decreasing pain and inflammation through both vascular (vasoconstriction) and nervous pathways (neuroconductions slowed).  Unfortunately, these effects take time to achieve and are often short lived.  More recently advanced forms of cryotherapy have been developed for elite soccer players in Europe and this technology is making its way into the equine world.  It is important to differentiate cryotherapy from cryosurgery.

Cryosurgery is the use of extreme cold to cause tissue destructions.  This cold is usually generated from liquid nitrogen and most commonly used in the treatment of superficial tumors like sarcoids or squamous cell carcinomas in horses.  This is the same technique that is used in freeze branding.

Cryotherapy does not cause tissue destructions but produces a phenomenon known as thermal shock.  The effects of thermal shock are: 1) analgesia - rapid reduction of pain that is prolongeed at the cellular level, 2) anti-inflammatory - due to the destruction of thermolabite mediators of inflammation, decreased metabolism, 3) vasconstriction - decreasing blood flow and 4) muscle relaxation.  Cryotherapy uses intense, powerful cold for a short period.  The cold is produced using liquid carbon dioxide under pressure (-78 degrees), and is painlessbecause it is dry.  Quick therapeutic cold levels are achieved in thirty seconds to one minute.  A delivery system (gun) is attached to a carbon dioxide tank and cryotherapy is applied to the affected area.  In our experience the procedure is painless, rarely requires any restraint, is safe, and has been very effective in our equine athletes.  We have used it for all forms of soft tissue lesions such as tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, as well as hematoma and other forms of inflammation.  In Europe, it has been used to trigger acupressure points in the treatment of back pain.  Freeze firing of race horses with splints, curbs or suspensory lesions is probably best considered a combination of cryotherapy and cryosurgery.

If you have questions regarding any for of "cold" therapy for your horse, please call the clinic's main number and speak with your veterinarian.