The ActivaPatch: Iontophoresis Made Smart & Easy

This battery powered therapy tool is great for treating Ringbone, Ligament Injuries, and more

Matrix Therapy Products has a new iontophoresis product that allows for quick, unattended treatments to non-invasively administer medication. Iontophoresis is great for resolving ringbone and ligament injuries, and the ActivaPatch makes it easy to apply treatments.

The ActivaPatch is a comfortable, non-invasive drug delivery system that is ideal for equine use to treat some locations. By phoresing, you’re able to eliminate needles, which reduces the potential of infection and tissue damage. Once the ActivaPatch is filled with medication, it is placed directly over the target tissues and left in place for 2.5 hours (see pictures).

When shoeing issues are corrected and a horse receives iontophoresis treatments, then ringbone is often able to be resolved. This has successfully returned horses to soundness, and even saving competitive careers. Treatments are cost-efficient, especially when considering the effectiveness and possible results. The ActivaPatch can easily be used to manage long-term conditions, as well as expedite the healing process of acute injuries. Even for horses that are sound, large puffy ankles can indicate problems surfacing. Using the ActivaPatch can resolve the physical issue prior to lameness occurring.

It is important to note that the condition often dictates the selection of a phoresing method and the ActivaPatch cannot be used for all conditions that benefit from iontophoresis. This is due to application issues, because some locations – such as low ringbone and heel pain – do not allow the ActivaPatch to achieve a secure seal.

Benefits of Iontophoresis

Iontophoresis provides the benefits of microcurrent and the medication being administered, creating an effective dual-treatment session. A few reasons to phorese include helping smooth the rough edges of calcified joints (i.e. for treating ringbone) and soothing irritated ligaments (i.e. an ankle’s annular ligaments). Iontophoresis also enhances the benefits of microcurrent by further reducing pain and inflammation, providing more relief than microcurrent alone. It is also an excellent noninvasive replacement to administering regular joint injections.

Conditions that benefit from iontophoresis:

Hocks: arthritis, replace joint injections,
Expedite healing, provide pain relief
Calcified joints
Tendon and ligament tears, strains, sprains, and lesions (holes)
Heel pain
Splints
Recovery from shockwave trauma

ActivaPatch Unique Features

The ActivaPatch consists of one electrode and one drug-reservoir pad, and it has an innovative self-contained battery and indicator light inside the specially designed phoresing pad. The current from the battery carries drug molecules into the skin to be dispersed into the body.

Compared to other self-powered iontophoresis patches, the ActivaPatch completes the transfer of medication significantly faster, taking just 2.5 hours. The ActivaPatch also has a treatment indicator light, similar to the MCT Patch.

Once applied, a tab is pulled to activate treatment. At this point the small light will indicate and confirm that there has been a proper seal. The light flashes slowly during treatment and goes off when all of the medication has been transferred. If desired, the patch can be removed prior to completion and then re-applied at a later point to finish the treatment.

The ActivaPatch provides a steady stream of medication for a fixed time, then automatically shuts off, which is indicated when the light turns off. After the treatment, simply remove the electrode pad and discard.

Economical Solution to Joint InjectionsMatrix Therapy Products recommends a special “Horse Cocktail” when phoresing, which is covered in Matrix training and in the book MicroCurrent for Horses. Deciding to try iontophoresis is a great option for replacing joint injections, treating ringbone, and healing tendon and ligament injuries. Whether you have iontophoresis sessions performed by a service provider or buy the supplies to do it yourself, iontophoresis is an economical and effective treatment option.

More on Iontophoresis

In addition to soothing and helping to heal tendons and ligaments, iontophoresis is worth pursing for bone spurs, ringbone, and any calcification in general. By phoresing these areas, iontophoresis appears to help stop the active progress of these bony changes to some degree. Calcification creates rough, pitted, bony surfaces that cause mild to severe discomfort for the horse. Phoresing can help smooth the rough edges, which allows tissues, such as ligaments, the ability to glide smoothly again. The ringbone or other calcification might still be present, but a little sanding can make all the difference in the horse’s comfort. As an example, people can always feel the pain of tiny slivers in their fingers or pebbles in a shoe, and similarly even though the horse’s calcifications are small it can make a horse miserable with pain. When thought of it in this way, it is clear how phoresing can often work wonders for horses.

Microcurrent alone has also been used to successfully treat the conditions mentioned above; using iontophoresis can simply heighten the pain relief and shorten the overall healing time. If already experienced in treating with microcurrent, then learning iontophoresis is very easy. Phoresing is another viable option for treating many ailments and it is worth being aware of and trying before more risky treatments are employed.

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