(Sort of a spin-off of a prior post…)
My wonderful gelding is trying to rehab from a suspensory strain in the LH. Several folks have recommended the Back on Track wraps. However, BoT wraps are designed to create a warming effect. If we’re icing and cold hosing, why would we want a warming effect? Aren’t we trying to minimize inflammation with the application of cold things? So confused!
Not an expert at all but with injuries that I’ve personally had in the past I always iced and then heated so maybe that’s why people have recommended the wraps??? They increase blood circulation which should help with the healing process. If cold hosing, I’d wait until the hair is dry before putting on. Again, I’m no expert, I never really know what to do but I love cold hosing, and with the BoT wraps it just seems like my horse loves them so I guess if anything else they might make your gelding more comfortable or take some pain away. ??? If not sure maybe a quick call to your vet?
The big question is whether BOT really increases heat to any measurable amount over other wraps. My BOT glove liners do not.
Also not an expert but when one of mine has a nice tendon injury my vet did say ice ice ice ice and more ice and wrap him, so used BOT stable boots and vet said it was totally ok to do so. I really dont know if BOT works but I use it I think mainly for my own peace of mind. Same goes for the magnetic therapy and same goes for the arc equine.Though my mother shattered her heal about 3 years ago have to have screws In there and she used BOT socks and she said it helped her a lot especially in the cold her leg seemed to be more mobile and she would walk better. She would ice her leg, then on went the socks.
No, do not add any unnecessary heat to a tendon/ligament injury. Your gut is correct.
I used BOT no bows on my horse when he injured his DDFT (high) during the initial wrapping phase. Until he ate them. I didn’t notice any more heat than with regular no bows, but they did seem to produce a tighter leg overall. If the injury was hot or after injection of biologics, I did still use them in conjunction with icing/cold hosing. He never had any heat or swelling as he returned to work, so while I wrapped him for work mostly to protect him from a stupid moment and used Draper polos which are a similar idea, I didn’t have to go back to icing or to using standing wraps.
I’ve used them since for random swelling and stocking up behind and while I wasn’t using them on very hot days/nights, I also again didn’t notice any more heat in the leg when I unwrapped then I would from any other stable bandage, but I do think overall the inflammation was better using them than other wraps.
Overall, I try to use standing wraps as little as possible but as much as required. If you use them all the time, the leg starts to get too reliant on the compression and will blow up worse without them.
One thing you could look into (you need a prescription) is the small Assisi loop PEMF device. Much better bang for buck, and you can use it 2-3 times a day if you want.
I’d also stick with ice and poultice.
I put BoT on a splint and it BLEW up. I think BoT is better for more maintenance or preventative. If you arent sweating the injury, I’d avoid them.
I don’t think BOT makes the site warmer in the sense it is like the heat from inflammation/injury. That said, I tend to not use them during the acute phase when the injury is warm. I focus on cold hosing then. Once it’s settled down then I add in the BOT products. FWIW, My vets and a surgeon at Hagyard have recommended it for a hind suspensory injury but there was never any heat or discernible swelling.
I would not use this on a soft tissue injury. i don’t have the link handy ,but have read some research that this actually disrupts the healing/realignment of fibres.
Do you have a source? Curious because my vet recommends it for a variety of issues
I assume they are recommending the no-bows for wear overnight. I’ve used them before my horse recovering for a torn RH extensor tendon. They didn’t seem to do any harm. Any thick-ish bandage is going to cause the horse’s body heat to get trapped. The Back on Track maybe a little more than regular standing wraps because of the material thickness and composition. Their premise is that they help by stimulating blood flow (which results in heat), which is generally good in healing soft tissue injuries in the extremities, because they are areas with much lower blood flow and therefore prone to heal slowly and poorly.
The ice and cold hosing are not related to the actual healing of the injury, but reducing swelling, so that there is no scarring, the blood can get to the area that’s damaged, and the tissue fibers will heal aligned parallel so they slide across one another, instead of crossing where they are weak and will likely re-tear.
It’s most common to use cold on soft tissue swelling, but plenty of vets will sweat out stubborn swelling in the legs as well (Fura-zone, DMSO/Dex, Surpass, etc.).
They may simply be suggesting the wrapping for mechanical reasons. When you have a suspensory strain or tear, it can do a lot for the horse, just to take some of the pressure off by giving them some support. Depending on exactly where the injury is, I’ll wrap mine clear down to the fetlock and snug the wrap under the ankle to help give them some extra support with the weight on that leg while it’s weakened. This is actually the same thing that the BOT exercise boots are designed to do, if you want to take a look at pics of those and mimic it. 
I love those boots (or several brands make a knock-off version without the fancy material) when you start rehabbing. Or use the same shaped wrapping technique with track bandages or the cotton-lined elastic Eskadron bandages. (Don’t get the rubber lined polo-ish bandages - they stick to themselves in the wash and then tear when you try to pull them apart).
I can’t quickly find the original one that I read, but here are a couple others that popped up in a quick search:
In horses, tendon healing delayed by PEMF: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4062013/
This second study was in chickens (seems a bit of an odd research choice, but ok), so different species. I don’t have access to the full article, but it found a reduction in tendon healing quality with use of PEMF: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266768199900311
FWIW, I’m rehabbing a soft tissue injury. We did surgery, PRP during surgery and shockwave. I’ve also done a series of Class IV regenerative laser per the vet’s recommendation if I “wanted to do everything possible.” Interestingly, I asked about adding PEMF and was told not to as it showed delayed healing on soft tissue structures. I didn’t question it really, but I’m nice to know/see there might be some since behind that statement.
Oh good reminder I used laser some as well. Thanks for the info on PEMF (I have one of the loops but use it for other issues)… one of the vets was recommending it to a friend who’s horse had myriad soft tissue problems. Good to know that it’s not good for that.
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