Equine Services

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is the application of very cold liquid nitrogen to a site. This term can be confused with the general term of cryotherapy which is just "cold therapy," the application of ice or cold packs to an area or treatment with cold hosing. Our cryotherapy unit delivers the liquid nitrogen to the affected area using a probe.

Cryotherapy exerts an analgesic effect and can be used for a variety of cases involving lameness such as splints, curbs, and suspensory injuries. It also can be used alone or as an adjunct therapy when treating certain skin tumours such as squamous cell carcinoma, or sarcoids because it destroys the undesirable tissues without harming the surrounding healthy ones.

One downfall of this treatment modality is it tends to cause the hair in the treated area(s) to turn white.