Why add EQ Pro if you already use focused shockwaves?

.
Focused shockwave therapy is a valuable tool in equine sports medicine. Its strength is the delivery of high-energy acoustic pressure pulses concentrated at a focal target.

EQ Pro takes a different approach.

Operating at approximately 38 kHz, EQ Pro gives veterinarians access to low-frequency ultrasound and a set of acoustic effects that are not the purpose of focused shockwave therapy—acoustic streaming and cavitation-related effects, thermal effects, as well as the potential for sonophoresis. [1]

The question is therefore not which technology is “better.”
It is what additional treatment possibilities low-frequency ultrasound can bring to your practice.

What Can EQ Pro Add to Your Practice?

.

1. Low-frequency ultrasound and cavitation
.
Therapeutic ultrasound is routinely described in veterinary rehabilitation references for management of muscle injuries, tendon injuries, ligament injuries, joint contracture, scar tissue, fibrosis, edema, postoperative rehabilitation and chronic soft tissue dysfunction. [2]

For equine veterinarians that see a wide variety of orthopedic and rehabilitation cases, this versatility increases equipment utilization and return on investment.

At approximately 38 kHz, EQ Pro operates in the low-frequency range that has been extensively studied for its distinctive acoustic effects.

Research using low-frequency ultrasound has demonstrated cavitation-associated changes in tissue permeability and has identified cavitation as an important mechanism of low-frequency sonophoresis. [3,4]

Clinical research has also investigated low-frequency ultrasound in wound healing, including a systematic review and meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials. [5]

This is significant because low-frequency ultrasound is not simply “weaker ultrasound.”
Changing the frequency changes how acoustic energy interacts with tissue.

2. Thermal effects
.
Unlike focused shockwaves, ultrasound can be used to produce controlled thermal effects in tissue when appropriate continuous-emission transducers are selected. [1,2]

This gives the veterinarian an additional treatment mechanism that is fundamentally different from the high-amplitude pressure pulses of ESWT.

With EQ Pro, mechanical and thermal treatment strategies can be selected according to the clinical objective.

3. Sonophoresis: an additional capability of low-frequency ultrasound
.
Sonophoresis is the use of ultrasound to increase tissue permeability and facilitate transdermal transport of drugs or homeopathic substances.

Low-frequency sonophoresis has been extensively investigated, particularly in the 20–100 kHz range. Research has demonstrated that low-frequency ultrasound can produce substantial increases in skin permeability, with cavitation playing an important role. [3,4]

This opens an area of acoustic therapy that is fundamentally different from focused shockwave treatment.

ESWT is designed to deliver a focused mechanical pressure pulse. Low-frequency ultrasound can also influence tissue permeability through acoustic mechanisms such as cavitation.

4. Treat More Than a Single Focal Target
.
Focused shockwaves are designed to concentrate energy around a selected focal zone.

EQ Pro can instead be used to treat a broader anatomical area.

This can be useful when the veterinarian wants to address a larger region of muscle or soft tissue rather than concentrating treatment exclusively on one focal point. This broader treatment capability makes ultrasound particularly useful in rehabilitation programs where injuries rarely occur in isolation. [2]

Focused shockwaves: Target the focal lesion.

EQ Pro Therapy: Treat the region.

Having both approaches available gives the veterinarian more options.

5. A Different Treatment Experience for the Horse
.
Shockwave uses fewer, more intense sessions (often 1–3). EQ Pro Therapy allows more frequent, gentler sessions with cumulative mechanical stimulation that can be incorporated into an ongoing rehabilitation program.

Rather than delivering a high-energy focal stimulus, low-frequency ultrasound can provide a gentler, repeatable mechanical stimulus that may be useful when the treatment goal includes:

• tissue remodeling and gradual repair
• collagen and scar-tissue remodeling
• improving tissue extensibility
• increasing local circulation
• reducing edema
  

Low-frequency ultrasound has also been investigated experimentally for its effects on fibroblast proliferation and collagen type I expression, providing additional scientific support for its potential role in tissue remodeling. [6]

Published studies using EQ Pro Therapy in horses report that treatment was well tolerated and did not require sedation. [7,8]

Focused shockwave therapy delivers a substantially more intense acoustic stimulus and can cause temporary soreness or discomfort following treatment. In equine practice, ESWT often requires standing sedation and/or patient restraint to facilitate safe treatment. [9]

EQ Pro is also a very quiet treatment. Unlike ESWT, it does not produce the loud, ballistic noise associated with focused shockwave therapy and does not require hearing protection as part of the treatment protocol. [9]

EQ Pro does not produce the analgesic effect associated with ESWT. Shockwave-induced analgesia can persist for several days after treatment and may temporarily mask pain, potentially allowing a horse to exercise before the injured tissue is ready. This is recognized as an important concern for the safety of the horse and rider. [9]

For the veterinarian, this means a treatment that is well tolerated, requires no sedation, is very quiet, and does not produce an analgesic effect.

Well tolerated. No sedation. Quiet. No analgesic effect.