Earthquake Technology Helps Horses and Humans
A device that detects earthquakes could help protect both humans and horses from bone fractures. I’m Jeff Keane and I’ll be back after the break to fill you in. As we discussed in prior programs, medical treatments for horses often end up benefiting humans. This latest story from Susan Allen is but another example. Jeff, if you have ever watched horse racing you know the devastating results when a horse fractures it leg, think Eight Belles. Researchers at Purdue have developed a devise similar to what is used to monitor earthquakes that will detect tiny cracks in bones. They found that when a horse or human, fractures a bone, it actually emits a high pitch sound wave. Thus this new monitor that both species would wear would alert athletes to tiny hairline breaks that would lead to much serous damage without rest and treatment. Obviously the Purdue group took into account the differences between horses and humans and the fact that horses typically fracture their cannon bone, (the long bone on the front leg) while we break bones in our feet and legs and suffer from ball and socket issues . The most poignant difference the team concluded was that humans express pain whereas a horse can’t tell us it hurts to run. This new monitoring system will save lives of thousands of race horses and countless dollars as the industry estimates they lose ten million each year just to bone fractures. They also foresee it used with dancers, athletes, even training our troops. Five to twenty percent of basic training recruits report stress fractures. I’m Jeff Keane
