Effective July 8, 2024 – Additional Information about Intra-Articular Injections
Rule 2271(a) reads:
(11) except as set forth in Rule 2271(a)(12), any Covered Horse treated with any intra-articular injection of any joint shall not be permitted to perform a Workout for 7 days following treatment or participate in a Covered Horserace for 14 days following treatment.
(12) notwithstanding Rule 2271(a)(11) and Rule 4222, any Covered Horse treated with any corticosteroid intra-articular injection of the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joint shall not be permitted to perform a Workout for 14 days following treatment or participate in a Covered Horserace for 30 days following treatment.
Further, Rule 4224 reads: “Intra-articular injections of polyacrylamide hydrogels are prohibited within 180 days prior to Post-Time.”
The prohibitions in Rule 2271(a)(11) and (12) apply to substances injected into any articular space, including, but not limited to, the following:
<ul>
<li>Orthobiologics (such as IRAP, PRP, stem cell therapy)</li>
<li>Corticosteroids (such as betamethasone, triamcinolone, isoflupredone)</li>
<li>Hyaluronic Acid (HA) products (such as Legend I.A., Hy-Visc, Hylartin)</li>
<li>Antibiotics</li>
<li>Medical devices (such as Spryng)</li>
<li>Anesthetics (such as mepivacaine)</li>
</ul>
The intra-articular administration of any Banned Substance, such as stanozolol, constitutes an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
These stand-down times do NOT apply to injections in or around the following structures:
<ul>
<li>Sacro-iliac areas</li>
<li>Bursae</li>
<li>“Splints”</li>
<li>Proximal suspensories</li>
<li>Tendon sheaths</li>
<li>Epaxial muscle</li>
</ul>
Injections in or around these structures will be regulated through testing under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.  For many of these administrations, a withdrawal interval greater than 14 days may be necessary to avoid detection in a treated horse’s collected sample.