High-power laser therapy is often used as a treatment for human sport injuries but controlled standardized studies on its efficacy are lacking. The technique has also been introduced in the equine field and recently promising results were reported in a retrospective study focusing on 150 sporthorses suffering from tendinopathy and desmopathy of the SDFT, DDFT, suspensory ligament, and suspensory branches. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of high-power laser in a standardized lesion model in horses. Lesions were created in all lateral suspensory branches of 12 warmblood horses. In each horse, 2 of the 4 lesioned branches were treated daily with a multi-frequency high-power laser for 4 weeks. Color Doppler ultrasonography was performed during and after the treatment period. Six horses were euthanized 4 weeks post-surgery (short-term) and 6 were further rehabilitated until 6 months and then euthanized (long-term). High-field MRI evaluation was performed on all cadaver limbs. On ultrasound, transverse size of the lesion was significantly smaller after 2- and 3 months (p = 0.026 and p = 0.015) in the treated branches. The expected post-surgery enlargement of the lesion circumference and cross-sectional area (CSA) over time, was significantly lower in the short-term laser treated group (p = 0.016 and p = 0.010). Treated lesions showed a significantly increased Doppler signal during treatment (p < 0.001) compared with control. On MRI, in the short and long-term group, the CSA of the lesions was significantly smaller (p = 0.002), and the mean signal significantly lower in the treatment groups (p = 0.006). This standardized controlled study shows that multi-frequency high-power laser therapy significantly improves healing of a suspensory branch ligament lesion.

Polyacrylamide gel is increasingly used in equine veterinary medicine for osteoarthritis and other joint disorders. This study aimed to document the indications, treatment protocols, rehabilitation plans, outcomes, and satisfaction with intra-articular polyacrylamide gel in horses, as reported by equine veterinarians. An online questionnaire was distributed to practitioners through the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation mailing lists, social media, and direct contact. Of 197 respondents, 160 completed the survey, forming the basis for the descriptive statistical analysis. The primary indications for polyacrylamide gel use were chronic synovitis/osteoarthritis (87.1%) and failure of prior joint treatment (83.6%). Treatment protocols, post-treatment rehabilitation plans, and clinical outcomes varied among practitioners and respondent groups based on experience and disciplinary focus (assessed using automated A/B or Kruskal-Wallis with post-hoc Dunn's test). Most respondents reported return to full exercise from week 4 post-treatment. Complications, worsening, or lack of improvement following treatment were rare, while complete recovery, partial improvement, or transient improvement were commonly observed. Median satisfaction score among respondents was rated 8/10. As expected with the study design, the responses limited detailed insights into individual experiences and may reflect response bias, with most respondents being specialized or focused on equine orthopedics. Despite these limitations, the survey highlights a general good satisfaction with intra-articular polyacrylamide gel, mainly for chronic synovitis/osteoarthritis and use after failure of prior joint treatment, with low reported complication rates and favorable outcomes. These findings support developing standardized guidelines for intra-articular polyacrylamide gel treatment and post-treatment rehabilitation protocols in horses.