Introducing Extend-A-Cool

Whether a racehorse, skilled jumper or professional rodeo roper, tendon injuries have ended many a horse's career. Each down-the-stretch pounding or return-to-earth-landing asks lower leg tendons to do the near impossible -- stretch and contract continuously from one to two inches per stride, all the while supporting several tons of impacted force. Pushed beyond capacity, tendon fibers can rupture.

Tissue injury results in inflammation, which releases chemical mediators (cytokines) and increased blood flow. Cytokines and the metabolites released from tissues cause the heat, pain, and swelling observed after injury. Cold limits the inflammatory response through vasoconstriction. This decreases fluid leaking from the local capillaries, thereby preventing edema in traumatized tissues.

The cooling capacity of Extend-A-Cool transdermal sheets will help in reducing this heat increase, thus minimizing the onset of tendonitis. In vivo tests have shown that the temperature of the spot where it is applied is lowered by up to 6ºF -- enough cooling relief to make Extend-A-Cool a preferred treatment option. Extend-A-Cool's cooling capacity is moderate, allowing additional cooling effect time compared to extreme cooling, such as that which is received through ice or commercial (chemical) cold packs -- both of which can be so cold as to cause nerve damage if subjected to extended periods of time longer than 20 minutes. When one considers Extend-A-Cool's convenience and ability to be applied immediately following a work out, Extend-A-Cool is the cool – clear winner.

Assessing Your Cold Therapy Options

The value of cold therapy to prevent and reduce swelling and pain has long been understood. Today, cold therapy to reduce swelling and trauma is practiced less consistently than one might think -- perhaps because of the limitations in current therapeutic cooling options.

Ice

Ice is effective, but there are pitfalls. Ice cubes contain air spaces that don't cool tissues uniformly. Applications more than 20-minutes are generally not recommended without veterinary approval, because the cold from ice can be so intense that blood vessels dilate, causing pain and the potential for tissue or nerve damage. Furthermore, the availability of ice in many situations is limited.

Commercial Cold Packs

Commercial chemical cold packs can actually be colder than ice, (30º F). And in as little as an hour, their chemicals return to room temperature and retain heat in the affected area, doing more harm than good. Some are so stiff they don't conform to the horse's leg, thus they do not cool tissues uniformly.

Running Water

Some people apply cold water from a hose which cools the skin surface; however time and labor limit the use of this therapy. Additionally, water hoses are often difficult to find when you need them most. In the stable, at an event, or in transit, time and resources may be scarce.

Convenient. Immediate.

Extend-A-Cool is a transdermal cooling sheet that contains a proprietary water-impregnated silica gel.

Applied as directed, Extend-A-Cool provides immediate cooling action for up to six hours, reducing body temperature locally by as much as 6ºF. This moderate and consistent cooling effect results in a convenient cooling alternative with no risk of nerve damage when left on for extended periods of time, and it contains no harmful chemicals. With its light and portable size, Extend-A-Cool is convenient to use -- for application immediately following a work out, at an event, or in transit. Being a wrap, it conforms to the horse's leg for uniform tissue cooling.

A Supplement To Acute Care Therapies

Extend-A-Cool is primarily intended to aid in the prevention of tendonitis and provide therapy to reduce its onset and the need for acute care. Following other cold treatments or therapies recommended by a veterinarian, Extend-A-Cool can be used as a convenient supplemental or extended cold therapy option in acute trauma situations.

Extend The Therapeutic Value Of Cooling With Extend-A-Cool

Clinical tests have shown that when tendon tissues are under strain, heat from the area can rise by as much as 4.5ºF, as quickly as 7-minutes after training. When heat is sustained for long periods, necrosis and rupture of tendon fibers can result. Cooling the area as soon as possible following a work out can reduce the likelihood of tendon cell necrosis and the need for acute care.

Extend-A-Cool sheets are another fine product from Alpharma Animal Health. For additional information about Extend-A-Cool products, call 800-834-6470