Shockwave therapy sounds dramatic, but the basic engineering is surprisingly straightforward: the machine creates rapid mechanical pressure pulses and transfers them through the skin into the tissue below. No mystery cloud. No invisible wellness glitter. Just electricity being converted into controlled mechanical energy, one pulse at a time. Physics, but make it barn-friendly. 🐴⚡
Our VanHorn system is developed specifically as an electromagnetic radial shockwave machine for equine therapy. It is not driven by compressed air (despite what some random internet heckler might want to argue with me about😂😬) Inside the handpiece, an electromagnetic drive accelerates an internal projectile. The projectile strikes the applicator, the impact produces a pressure pulse at the treatment surface, and gel helps transfer that pulse into the horse without an air gap.
Why the word “radial” matters 🔬
This article is specifically about radial shockwave therapy, also called radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) in the literature. Radial and focused systems have different pressure-wave characteristics. A paper containing the word “shockwave” is not automatically evidence for every machine wearing that label. Same umbrella, different engineering. (Radial technology and equine study background)
Electromagnetic describes the drive in our handpiece; radial describes the pressure-wave delivery. An electromagnetic drive does not, by itself, make a device “focused.” The equine studies below used other radial equipment, not the VanHorn shockwave machine, so they use shockwave modality but they aren’t perfectly identical.
The applicator creates the pulse at the skin surface. From that contact area, the mechanical exposure spreads outward through the tissue and decreases with distance. The strongest force is near the applicator-to-skin contact area, not at a depth selected on the screen. Anatomy, tissue composition, gel coverage, contact angle, applicator choice, and the selected settings all influence the pressure that reaches the tissue.
This is also why gel is not a cute optional accessory. Air is a poor pathway for mechanical pulse transfer (think about it like slapping air vs slapping water) A saucy thick layer of gel and stable applicator contact help the machine deliver consistent pulses. Increasing the energy setting does not fix missing gel, rocking contact, trapped dirt, or a fluffy winter coat trying to sabotage physics. Good news is- ultrasound gel is fairly cheap and super easy to get on Amazon!
Current specifications
These are the engineering specifications in the current user manual.
- Technology: Portable electromagnetic radial shockwave system
- Energy setting: 20–200 mJ
- Frequency: Factory-configurable, with a proposed customer range of 1–15 Hz
- Input power: 110 V/60 Hz or 220 V/50 Hz, according to the device nameplate
- Display: Integrated touchscreen
- Applicators: Seven supplied heads various shapes/applications
What the controls actually change 🎛️
The four main variables work together. None of them is a stand-alone depth control, diagnosis button, or healing-speed dial. The tissue does not read the screen, and more mJ is not a gold star. Your horse did not sign up for a high-score competition. 😅
Energy in mJ: The machine's command for each impact. A higher setting generally creates a stronger mechanical pulse, but the displayed number is specific to this machine and is not a tissue-depth measurement.
Frequency in Hz: The number of pulses delivered each second. A higher frequency completes a chosen impulse count faster, but it does not automatically add energy to each pulse or make the session more effective.
Impulse count: The total number of pulses delivered to a site or treatment zone. More pulses are not automatically better.
Applicator head: The head changes the contact size, shape, and pressure distribution. Smaller contact areas may concentrate exposure, while broader heads spread contact across a larger surface.
What has actually been studied with radial therapy? 📚🐴
I want the citation to match the equipment we are discussing. So the clinical highlights below are radial-specific equine research, not focused-shockwave findings quietly wearing a different name tag.
The useful question is not just “does it do something?” It is what changed, in which horses, and how was that measured? Suspensory rehabilitation outcomes and immediate back-muscle responses answer different questions.
1. Chronic proximal suspensory injuries: radial therapy plus rehabilitation
Crowe and colleagues followed 65 horses with chronic or recurrent proximal suspensory desmitis. After radial treatment plus controlled exercise, 53% of forelimb cases and 41% of hindlimb cases were nonlame and in full work at six months. (Crowe et al., 2004)
My takeaway: radial belongs in the conversation about a veterinarian-led suspensory rehabilitation plan. This was a case series without a concurrent randomized control group, so we cannot separate its contribution from exercise management and recovery. The rehab plan was doing work too. Literally. 🐴
2. Dressage horses: encouraging suspensory branch outcomes
A 2025 retrospective review of 70 dressage horses included 42 receiving radial shockwave therapy. In that subgroup, 32/42 (76.2%) returned to their pre-injury work level or higher; five had a poorer outcome and five retired. (Boado et al., 2025)
My takeaway: useful, horse-specific clinical evidence. Treatment selection, individualized rehabilitation and other care could influence outcomes, so this is an association, not proof that radial alone caused the success rate. Encouraging? Yes. A guaranteed return-to-Grand-Prix button? Tragically, no. 😅
3. Back muscles: measurable short-term effects after radial therapy
A 2023 preliminary study compared 12 actively treated and 12 sham-treated healthy Thoroughbreds. Immediately after radial therapy, skin temperature was higher than sham and palpation-assessed back-muscle tone decreased. By ten minutes, surface temperatures were below baseline in both groups. (Śniegucka et al., 2023)
My takeaway: this supports a short-term physiological response and interest in muscle-focused applications. It does not establish long-term pain relief, deep blood-flow changes or injury repair. I love a thermal camera, but it does not have X-ray vision. 🔥🔬
Comfort and recovery are not interchangeable ⚠️
Practical point: seeming more comfortable does not establish that an injured structure is ready for work. Return-to-work and competition decisions belong in the veterinarian-led rehabilitation plan and must follow applicable competition rules.
What this means for horse owners 🐴
Shockwave is not a diagnosis, a universal recipe, or a substitute for understanding which structure is painful. It is a way to deliver a controlled mechanical stimulus. The horse's tissue may translate that stimulus into local biological signaling, and the clinical result develops over time alongside the underlying diagnosis, exercise plan, recovery, and total treatment exposure.
That is also why this VanHorn radial shockwave system is being built around adjustable energy, frequency, impulse count, and interchangeable applicators instead of pretending one preset is correct for every horse. The operator still has to identify the treatment area, maintain good contact, begin conservatively, observe the horse, and stop if the response becomes uncomfortable or abnormal.
Research from other devices can help explain the science, but it cannot be used to invent settings for this one.
That may be the least glamorous sentence in the article, but it is the most engineer-approved one. I can be enthusiastic about useful equipment and picky about evidence at the same time. It is basically my entire personality. 🤓💥
Radial research links 🔗
Keep learning and explore the equipment
Want more equipment science without the sales-pitch fog?
Join the VanHorn Equine Therapy Science list for new plain-English guides, engineering breakdowns, and product updates.
By subscribing, you agree to receive marketing emails from VanHorn. You can unsubscribe at any time.
0 comments