When it comes to certain injuries, it is actually possible to use a dual treatment approach with Hilltop Bio’s regenerative therapies. Shockwave therapy is one such therapy that is frequently used along with Hilltop Bio’s Regenaflex purified regenerative therapy products. We wanted to dig a little deeper into the how’s, why’s, and when’s of using the therapies together, and sat down with Dr. Scott McClure (DVM, PhD, DACVM) to get the scoop. Transcript below.
Video Transcript
Question: Tell us about your veterinary background.
Dr. Scott McClure:
My practice background is fairly diverse. I’ve spent over 20 years in university. I spent a couple years in private practice before that. Then, in my own referral-type surgery/sports medicine practice for the last 5 years.
Question: What kinds of soft tissue injuries do you usually treat with [Hilltop Bio] amnion therapies?
Dr. Scott McClure:
Typically, the type, we can treat multiple kinds.
The majority that we’re going to see are going to be the fresh, acute injuries, and any of those where we have any disruption of fibrous/fiber alignment. I think those are the ideal ones to be treating, particularly if you have any core defects that you have to regenerate.
Because we can utilize the growth factors here to speed up and, basically, accomplish that regeneration, which may not even occur without some type of amnion growth factors or something to stimulate it.
Question: When do you decide to use shockwave therapy in addition to [Hilltop Bio] amnion therapy?
Dr. Scott McClure:
I look at it quite the “in addition to.” I look at it from an injury what is best and how far we can go with each horse, as far as the clients will allow. If I’m allowed to do whatever I’m going to do, I would, typically, go with shockwave therapy, then, follow it up right after with that with amnion, because we can stimulate neovascularization with the shockwave to maybe decrease some of the edema and inflammation, initially. Follow with the amnion, and then come along and continue that healing with additional shockwave therapies. So, if I’m given my druthers, they’re typically going to be used in parallel.
Question: What are some benefits of a dual approach? Things to keep in mind?
Dr. Scott McClure:
Well, the benefits of using shockwave is that, I think, they’re additive. So, you can use shockwave and what’s fairly well-documented that there are positive effects in tendon and ligament healing. We clearly recognize the benefits of the growth factors in the [Hilltop Bio] amnion product. So, and how they stimulate healing and can just simply add those together. As far as negatives, you know, it’d be pretty much, as long as we have healthy tissues, no infection I don’t know that there is a lot of negative associated with either treatment.
Question: Why does adding shockwave therapy help in certain situations?
Dr. Scott McClure:
Well, I think it has to do with…we know that the shockwave leads to some neovascularization. Some things would suggest that it decreases some of the inflammation, and they are different, with amnion, you’re adding growth factors in there at a nice mixture of naturally occurring, mixture.
We know that the shockwave actually stimulates the cells themselves to produce growth factors. So, we’re basically adding growth factors, stimulating growth factors. We’re approaching the same objective two different ways for that additive benefit.
Question: Is there a certain point in the process to begin using one therapy in addition to the other or should be used side-by-side the entire time?
Dr. Scott McClure:
There’s a lot of personal preference in that. I think, ideally, you would typically go side-by-side when you can in most cases. If you’re going to go one, and then, potentially, the other, I would probably go with the [Hilltop Bio] amnion, you know, following the initial inflammatory phase. Get those cooled out with anti-inflammatories and ice. Utilize your [Hilltop Bio] amnion, and then, evaluate your progress. And then you may turnaround and add shockwave into that as the future progresses. If you’re going to look at it from one, then, the other, that’s kind of how I would approach it.
Question: Anything else that veterinarians need to know about the two therapies?
Dr. Scott McClure:
Well, I think what you should consider is, is, I think, is just maybe more of looking at the entire package.
I think, one, is we’re treating injured tissue but when we start our treatment, we want to maximize it, so controlling the initial inflammation, by some mechanism, prior to these therapies, and even if it’s brief, two or three days of ice and anti-inflammatories to get the initial inflammation under control, and then try to move your healing process along quicker. I think is probably something not everyone thinks about, but to maximize the benefit of our therapies, for just some brief period of time for initial inflammation control is ideal.
Ready to add some Regenaflex to your kit? Contact a member of the Hilltop Bio team, and they can get you started.
To learn more about equine shockwave therapies, visit our friends at PulseVet.
