Annular Ligament Injuries????

[SunSmile]

About April/May my mare ran through an electric fence and practically severed her leg at the hock, 6 weeks box rest then field rest etc etc i have just started to ride her out quietly in walk. Two days ago she from the field with her windgalls on the damaged leg enlarged and more solid to feel, she was/is still sound in walk, but hasnt yet been 100% sound in trot. The vet came on to the yard today, not too see her but she was on the yard being shod. Vet decided he would have a look at her while he and she was there, so we trotted her up, where upon he declared she was looking sound on her hock but that i could have another problem

He thinks it could be an annular ligament injury which may or may not have come from the hock injury! It could be that it happened at the same time as the hock but because the hock was so bad no one noticed it or that it has come from compensating from the hock

Anyway he wants her into the clinic to scan her with in the week, as if this wasnt enough i rang my dad to let him know and he tells me that he had to scrap his discovery this morning and we now have no way of towing the trailer!!
Dont you just love having horses!!

Has anyone had any experience of annular ligament injuries? I did look through the past 10 pages of this forum to see if there were any other posts but was unable to find anything!
I suppose in a way it is a good job the vet came today, but having gone through the possibility of losing her already then thinking she was getting better and now having to go through all this nightmare again i'm beggining to wish the vet never came!!!!!

 

[Doublethyme]

Yep me and several other members (Star; H's mum and Llwelyn(sp?) spring to mind). All the others have a lot more info than me and have had the op done I think.

My mare has been off since November with hers - although she also has an injury to her SDFT too, which I think is the reason she has been off longer - annular ligament alone and she would probably have been back in work April.

She had two months box rest with 10 minutes in hand walking a day, then has been on small isolated paddock rest since January. She's off for her 4th work up and scan next Tuesday to see what is occuring now - she seems sound to me, but who knows.

There is an operation that you can have on the annular ligament if it continues to be a problem, but I have no experience of this. The other members I listed above I am sure will be along (or PM them), as they are all extremely helpful and knowledgeable about this problem.

Best of luck with your mare. Its heartbreaking isn't it. I've never suffered from stress (didn't believe in it!), even when I lost my last mare with a broken leg, but the last 8 months have been the most stressful for me, causing me all sorts of physical symptoms (which again I was always a "buck your ideas up" kind of girl with others!!)

 

[Mrs_Wishkabibble]

I had a mare that had windgalls that got worse and the vets were under the belief that the annular ligament was strangling the tendon. The annular ligament is a bit like an elastic band that runs around the back of the fetlock joint.
I had hers cut under a general. I was expecting a massive wound after but it was tiny, about 3-4cms long and she needed in hand exercise straight away.
PM me if you want to see some pics.

 

[Llwyncwn]

No worries with the anular ligament hun

Cassy had hers cut 4 weeks ago by Ollie Crow from Willersley. The op. is less than an hour and quite a simple proceedure. The job of the anular ligament is a bit like a hair scrunchie, it goes around the top of the fetlock and simply keeps the tendons in place. In answer to your next quetion ... "do the tendons fall apart when their security is cut", no they dont! I am now riding Cass for 15 mins each day (wish I hadnt tonight in the wind, but thats another story). By week 12 you will be doing lots and lots, with turn out and by month 8 you should be ready to compete at competition fitness.

However, until she is scanned you are not going to know exactly what is going on in there. The anular ligament is swollen for a reason (starts from windgalls which dont go down during exercise). In my limited experience it is due to a legion (hole) in one of the tendons.

When she has had the scans and you know what you are dealing with, you will be better informed.

There are so many people on here who can help you. I would PM Dressage_Babe, she is very knowledgeable and her OH is a vet. Also Silmarillion (too much experience for her own good), hb6, Star, Ann-Jen, lots of others I cant think of at this time, but pester them - I promise they will help

 

[star]

my horse had primary annular ligament desmitis which is more rare than a secondary constriction due to a primary tenosynovitis or injury to one of the digital flexor tendons. they did the same op though, just cut the ligament. he came sound and i gradually brought him back into work over 6mths, but then he did it again and was crippled. vets offered to cut it again but at 21 i wasn't going to put him through it all again. i turned him away and that was 15mths ago. he's sound now and we go for the odd hack but he's basically retired. he was old when he got it though and we all know old horses dont heal so well. generally they do pretty well although a lot do need the op.

 

[SunSmile]

Thanks for the help guys, is much appreciated.
I am booking her in for a scan next week and will be keeping everything tightly crossed until then - and probably after!!

 

[Fleas]

Well this seems to be my problem too... my boy had the annular ligament op on his left front last June and he had tendon damage too so it is definately nice to see what is going on in there. He had an 8-12 month recovery plan after the op and he came sound after about 3 months post op with gentle increasing exercise.
All was going swimmimgly until may this year when he did his front right with the exact same thing... slightly different care after this latest op with a 6 month estimation for soundness, although this time round I am thinking it may take longer and am wondering what kind of use he will go back to. Quite depressed as he is just turned 7...