Treatment of superficial digital flexor tendinitis.

This article reviews the research and clinical findings relevant to the treatment of acute tendinitis in the horse. The goals of treatment are to reduce inflammation, minimize scar tissue formation, and promote restoration of normal tendon function. A wide variety of treatments have and still are being used to treat tendinitis, which indicates that there is no uniformly successful way to return a horse to full athletic function after injury. Therapy depends on the severity of tendinitis and duration of injury and can be divided into treatment during the inflammatory, repair, and maturation phases of healing.