Sports Medicine Department

The Sports Medicine Center consists of a 12-stall barn, and is equipped with a state-of-the-art nuclear scintigraphy unit (bone scanner) and high-speed diagnostic treadmill.

The Center’s goal is to provide the latest in diagnostics relating to lame performance horses. Examination at speed on the treadmill can be combined with a number of other procedures to help identify and confirm diagnoses that may lead to improving performance in any given athlete. Problems encountered include upper airway abnormalities, lower airway disease, cardiac abnormalities, subtle lameness, and muscle abnormalities.

The nuclear imaging section is designed to allow in-depth evaluation of lameness problems that have not been identified by other traditional methods. This sensitive tool uses the horse’s bone metabolism to effectively identify the location(s) of concern that may cause lameness. This tool is useful at identifying sources of lameness such as pelvic fractures, elbow and shoulder inflammation and upper limb stress fractures that may not be visible on radiographs. In certain situations this imaging tool may also be used to identify sources of inflammation in difficult medical cases.

The Sports Medicine Center offers high tech diagnostics for all breeds of performance horses. Diagnostic evaluations are tapered to the individual horse’s area of concern and performance needs for their sport.

The Center also offers the following services:

• Lameness evaluations
• Pre-purchase examinations
• Radiography
• Video endoscopy evaluations
• Ultrasound

The Center is lead by Dr Tim Lynch, DVM, a Board Certified Surgeon, who specializes in lameness, scintigraphy, and performance profiling.