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Sports Medicine

The Equine Medical Center offers comprehensive care for equine athletes of all breeds and ages. Our experts in sports medicine and rehabilitation, surgery, internal medicine, and farriery work closely with referring veterinarians and owners to restore and maintain sport horses at optimal health.

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  • Our specialists use state-of-the-art technology and facilities, including a comprehensive suite of diagnostic imaging modalities and the Lameness Locator, a wireless motion analysis system used to detect asymmetries in gait, to evaluate equine lameness.
  • Among our full spectrum of specialty lameness treatment services are regenerative medicine, therapeutic farrier services, fracture repair, and minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as arthroscopy and tenoscopy.
  • Learn more about lameness diagnosis and treatment available at the center.

Physical rehabilitation improves comfort and promotes healing, whether your horse is recovering from an injury or needs to maintain peak performance.

  • Along with traditional medical and surgical interventions, physiotherapy services are available at the Equine Medical Center.
  • Physical rehabilitation accelerates recovery after injury, manages pain after surgery, and improves the well-being of your horse.
  • Rehabilitation therapies should be considered when you notice any performance change. Uneven gaits, refusal to perform usual tasks, or unusual anxiety and behavioral changes all signal that your horse may be physically uncomfortable.
  • Learn more about rehabilitation services available at the center.

Upper airway disease is a common performance-limiting problem in equine athletes. The signal may be respiratory noise, but silent obstructions can also occur.

  • Our experts evaluate airway function using specialized diagnostic procedures, including video endoscopy, radiography, and ultrasonography; dynamic endoscopy is performed when conditions manifest only during exercise.
  • The center offers conventional and laser surgery procedures to help address laryngeal hemiplegia (roaring), dorsal displacement of the soft palate, epiglottic entrapment, and arytenoid chondritis.
  • Learn more about upper respiratory medicine and surgery services available at the center.
  • In-house therapeutic farrier services offered by the Equine Center's farrier team provide a collaborative environment for our specialists to assess and treat complicated podiatry issues in your sport horse.
  • Learn more about therapeutic farrier services available at the center.
  • Advanced imaging capabilities, including computed tomography (CT), digital radiography, digital ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear scintigraphy (bone scan), and an on-site diagnostic laboratory provide our specialists with the tools to keep your sport horse at the highest level of performance.
  • Learn more about diagnostic imaging available at the center.
  • The Equine Center's Regenerative Medicine Service offers therapies, including stem cell treatments and platelet rich plasma developed in our state-of-the-art molecular research laboratory, which harness the power of the body's own cells and proteins to promote healing by regenerating tissue after trauma.
  • Learn more about regenerative medicine services available at the center.

Appointments and referrals:
703-771-6800

To schedule an appointment, refer a patient, or inquire about our sports medicine or other clinical services, please call 703-771-6800 or email emcinfo@vt.edu.

sports medicine team