Tracy Turner
DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVSMR
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I am using the EQ Pro, which is a low frequency ultrasound. I have always been a fan of therapeutic ultrasound and EQ Pro makes me a bigger fan, because it’s the only therapeutic instrument that I found that I can treat deep muscle injuries; especially inner thigh and into hard to reach areas that it would be not smart to use any other therapeutic device. And the horses tolerate it really well. My assessment it is it’s worked really well on the horses, it’s had the effect and for me I want to continue to use it and learn more about it, learn more how to use it, even more effectively than what we are doing now. You have two different effects that you get from ultrasound: you have thermal effects and you have acoustic effects. The acoustic effects it is the soundwaves going through the tissues, so I suspect the simplest way to put that it’s like micro-massage going through your tissues. So if a massage feels good to you, this is going to get way past your skin and then into your deeper tissues. And when you think of the size of horse’s muscles, you are not talking centimeters, you are talking inches. And so now you can get deep into that area to really affect something on the horse. The other effect is the thermal effect, which the idea is to help bring circulation in. The acoustic probably does some of that too, but the thermal effect warms the tissues and based on some work that I have done using thermal imaging, which yes only measures superficial, but the thermal effect I am getting is much wider. If I do like the thigh of a horse, I see the whole quarter of that horse warm up, so that must be affecting deeper tissues to get the blood vessels to dilate to give me that. Based on other work I have done, I think muscle injuries are much much more common than given credit for. Certainly muscle injuries are the most common injury in human athletes. So our horses, they are better athletes, so why don’t they have a lot of muscle injuries? And I think they do, we just fail to recognize them. As a veterinarian I think you just need to recognize where these issues are, concentrate on them and get that horse moving a little bit better. And this is why I am using it. I couldn’t be happier with EQ Pro. I have known about low frequency ultrasound for some time, but you couldn’t find one… ‘till I found it. And I am ecstatic. If you are doing sports medicine work, and you are doing real sports medicine work, if you are really looking after athletes, this is got to be part of your toolbox!
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TRACY TURNER
DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVSMR
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Dr. Tracy Turner received his DVM degree from Colorado State University in 1978, after which he was able to pursue his interest in equine medicine and surgery. He is board certified in Veterinary Surgery (Dipl.ACVS) and Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Dipl.ACVSMR). He served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, University of Florida and the University of Minnesota. He joined Anoka Equine Clinic in 2004 and started his own practice in 2016 dedicated strictly to Sports Medicine, Lameness, and Surgery.
Dr. Turner has consulted for the USDA Horse Protection, Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and United States Equestrian Federation. Dr. Turner has had the privilege of working at 4 Pan America Games, 3 Olympic Games and at 2 World Equestrian Games.
Dr. Turner is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Equine Practioners (AAEP), the Minnesota Association of Equine Practitioners (MAEP), the American Farrier’s Association (AFA), the American Association of Professional Farriers and the Minnesota Farrier’s Association (MnFA). Dr. Turner has served as chairman of the AAEP’s Farrier Liaison Committee and has served on the AAEP Foundation Advisory Council, the Education committee and served on the AAEP Board of Directors. He is a past president of the MAEP.
Dr. Turner has been active in the horse community. He served 2 terms on the Board of Directors of the Central States Dressage and Combined Training Association. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Horse Council since 2002 and is presently serving his seventh term as President.
Dr. Tracy Turner has been appointed the 2023 vice president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). He will be installed during the November 21st President’s Luncheon at the AAEP’s 68th Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, and will assume the role of AAEP president in 2025.