Low level laser for suspensory injury

[SO1]

My vets have recommended Low Level Laser and ice spa's for treating a hind leg suspensory injury. The injury is in a hind leg and is fibre misalignment, no tear or hole. The vets offer the laser as service and my yard can do the ice spa's. The cost in total for these services is nearly £3,000. I only have £1000 on the insurance for complimentary treatments. The laser treatment will be nearly £2,000.

If am going to spend an extra £2000 of my own money then I need to be very confident that the ice spas and low level laser will make a significant difference to the healing process. I am mainly a happy hacker and only really ride in the school week day evenings as I don't get to the yard till 7pm after work so often too dark to do anything else.

I believe in evidence based medicine and looking at clinical studies I am struggling to find academic studies on the benefits of LLL compared to normal rest, ice, controlled exercise. The NHS does not seem to offer LLL for ligament injuries which makes me question the benefit - lasers do not seems to be a massively expensive piece of kit and look they do not need years of training to operate so my feeling is that is they are as good as they are marketed to be they would be used in the NHS as the costs of a nurse doing the treatment would be quite low.

I don't want to deprive my pony from some important treatment but at the same time £2,000 is a lot of money to spend on LLL, so I need to be really confident that this is something special that is going to work really well. There is always a degree of guilt if you say no to some expensive treatment offered by the vet as it makes me feel like a bad owner! Vets are used to dealing with very wealthy clients who can afford all the very expensive new treatments or people that would get into debt if need be to fund treatment.

I expect this is hard to quantify but does anyone have any experience of LLL in either horses or perhaps for treating an injury they have - it does seem to be used in private practice physiotherapy but not the NHS.

At the moment I am prioritising the ice spa's with the insurance money as that is more aligned to NHS treatment of ligament damage. Also financially he can have 3 ice spas for the cost of one laser treatment.

 

[milliepops]

Sorry can't help on the specifics but a physio gave one of my horses laser therapy for a fractured splint bone. Just bringing this up in case it's cheaper than a session from your vets? I am assuming it's the same thing (I know one should never assume )

 

[be positive]

Sorry can't help on the specifics but a physio gave one of my horses laser therapy for a fractured splint bone. Just bringing this up in case it's cheaper than a session from your vets? I am assuming it's the same thing (I know one should never assume )

My equine physio used a laser on an ankle injury I had, she started daily treatment once past the acute stage so a few days after I damaged the ligament, my recovery time was certainly fast which must have been in part due to the treatment, within 10 days I went from non weight bearing to being sound, she had a pony at rehab livery with me so did the treatments for no charge while he was having his restricted time on grass.
I suspect if it is the same as the vets are using it will be far cheaper to get a physio in, at approx £60 per session you would get a lot for 2k with the call out and treatment the vet is likely to be double the cost per visit, if not more.

 

[ycbm]

You can buy a decent red laser machine on Ebay for less than your vets are quoting for the treatment, the expensive ones are £200. I've used it on swellings and I knew which days the horse had it and which it didn't by the level of filling.

.

 

[Michen]

I’m considering the same for a sesamoid ligament injury for my horse. He’s had PRP but laser considered alternative treatment and only £750 for it.

My vet actually thinks I shouldn’t bother but am tempted to do it anyway regardless of cost if there’s any chance it could help.

 

[ihatework]

Not all lasers are equal and I suspect what you are being quoted for is for the high spec vet one. The racehorse guys are all over it at the moment. From the limited observation I have had I’m not convinced.

For what sounds like mild fibre damage then I’d save your money and do the standard ice, rest, rehab

 

[conniegirl]

My horse has just gone come through boxrest for injury to both hind suspensorys.
On my vets advice (he is a specialist vet at one of the largest equine hospitals in the north of england) i went for an initial 3 rounds of shockwave therapy, after that because one tendon wasn’t as healed as the others i had another 2 done. Costs about £150 a session including callout!
He has healed beautifully. At no point was laser mentioned

 

[SO1]

My pony didn't have laser in the end. The decision was made for me as whilst I was deciding the lockdown started so it was no longer an option.

He just had ice spa's & is now continuing the traditional rehab doing his controlled walking on the horse walker & water treadmill.