Magnetic leg wraps for arthritic horse?

Gruntfuttock

Evil Enabler
Apr 5, 2007
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Leighton Buzzard / Milton Keynes
I am trying to plan ahead in preparing Ella for the winter. She has arthritic knees, and i am assuming that , like human arthritis, she'll suffer more with them over the winter. Obviously she will be coming in at night and will be well wrapped-up, and she'll have a big comfy bed to stand / lie on.

Someone at my yard suggested magnetic wraps for her to wear when she is in overnight. Do these help with arthritis, are they a good idea, has anyone experience of using them, and are they better than bandages? I'm thinking of myself with that last one, really - I am not good at bandaging, and i am wary of putting them on too tight or something.
 
theyre quite simple but you could get someone knowledgeable to show you som you feel happy puttiong them on

there are also magnetic brushing boots, if you are used to putting boots on?
i had a livery that came with these, the owner had them for navicular/.arthritis
 
I used bioflow boots for mare when she splinted some years back, and was impressed with them, s I recall she was only supposed to wear them for a certain period of time, but of course I ignored that and she wore them when stabled, and sometimes for turn-out.

I think problem may be keeping wraps in position, if it's the knee you want to target specifically ( I cant even keep tubigrip in place on my own arthritic knee!!)...

Bandaging is ok, the trick is to not skimp on the gamgee underneath - helps spreads pressure load. An alternative I had considered this winter would have been these from premier equine -
http://www.premierequine.co.uk/acatalog/Magnetx_Therapy.html
Magnet and stable bandage in one!
 
My vet is not convinced by the magnetic aspect of such boots/wraps, more that the warmth created by them helps, so normal leg wraps would be just as beneficial. She has had great results with pulsed electromagnetic therapy but doesn't rate 'normal' magnets.

I used Thermatex leg wraps for the first time last winter on my 17 yr old TB and he was noticeably less stiff first thing in a morning.

The magnetic ones would probably help her, but might just be due to her legs being kept warm rather than effects of the magnets - people say they work, but they'd need to compare the results with non-magnetic wraps to really see what the difference was.
 
I didn't feel the magnetic boots did any better than the stable chaps Rosie has :eek:

Having said that, I know Boots do little stick on ones for humans than have a sticky back and they stay on for about 7 days on a human (even after baths!) and they worked for my back when I last had a problem. Might be better for getting the action on the knee without needing to bandage?
 
I would get some stable chaps instead-the magnetic boots aren't proven scientifically to actually to any good.
 
Grunty, ask DavidH about magnetic boots.

When I bought some I asked for peoples advice/experience of them and he was one of many that swore by them.

My mare has two knee injuries and I wanted the boots to use for that and for any future arthritic problems that might occur.

My mare loves them! She is so calm, almost spaced out when shes worn them for an hour or so. You can leave them on overnight in the stable btw.

I travel Taya in them too as they help to calm her. Cant give you any specifics on how they help with her injuries as such at the moment but Im very pleased with them and they definately DO work!

Hope that helps!
 
We used Stable chaps for overnight for our TB but used magnetic wraps for a few hours at night and in a morning (after and before turnout), if he was going to be in all day for any reason with just a walk out we would put the wraps on for longer, he was very arthritic.

our 18yr old Mare recently had stiffness to her hocks and we put the wraps on for a couple of hours on a night and for an hour in the morning (shes out 24/7) and they have definately helped, she is now tracking up again and much happier, we are continuing to use them.
 
I'd agree that the magnets do very little and it's probably the warmth and application that is most helpful.
If you find bandaging difficult, there are other types of wraps and leg chaps that could do the same job.

ETA: Oh I've just seen that it's her knees you want to apply them to. I think you could probably only bandage that area :confused:

Are you giving her any supplements? My mare suffers with stiffness and I found apple cider vinegar (plus very regular exercise) to be very helpful.
 
ive used magnetic wraps as a help along with a tendon injury, i was always very unsure if they really worked before but now i am amzed at my horses progress, she wears them overnight and now never has filled legs in the morning (quite normal for her before). I also use thermatex leg wraps though for wet legs in the winter, i love them, they may be expensive to buy but mine are now 6 year old and like new still.
 
i've used the bioflows on both my boys- one had filled fetlocks after being in overnight and the other has arthritis. was recommended to use them by my back lady and physio and have to say they worked. archies legs have never filled up since he's been wearing them and Jo has them on if he's in at all or if its cold.
would recommend the brush boot style ones rather than the wraps though as they last much much longer.
 
Somebody on our old yard used to use them and swore by them. I also read a review in Your Horse mag and she thought they'd definitely helped her horse. There is an article in Horse and Rider mag this month in the vet section about bandaging, if your worried about getting it right, ie too tight. As somebody has already mentioned I believe the gamgee underneath is key.
 
I have used a magnetic belt on my back and found it excellent. I also have a pair of magnet boots for my horse and she wears them to prevent her legs from filling whilst she is in during the day and they work better than bandaging as I have tried both methods.

The thing with magnetic products is that you have to be aware of the magnets contained in them. The boots I bought (and the back belt for me) contain 6 x 2600 gauss magnets in each boot. The magnets are neodymium (rare earth) too. Unfortunately a lot of products out there contain very weak magnets or the wrong sort and therefore they have no affect at all.

The gauss of neodymium (rare earth) magnet ranges from 1000 - 3500 in strength. The more magnets a product contains the better too.

So if you are going to buy some magnetic therapy products for either your horse or yourself, do some research first. :)
 
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