annular ligament surgery

[abiparksss]

Hello!!

I had the PAL & manica flexor done end of February, my mares been rehabbing and was deemed sound in may with a steroid injection into both hind to help!!

The more work we have been doing such as adding canter in and upping the schooling the worse we have gotten! Lowered work right back down to rebuild and we keep getting a fat leg and gone on and off un-sound again

Vet due out Wednesday but did anyone else find their horse couldn’t return to full work at all???

Thankyou

 

[Kirstd33]

I’m a couple of months behind you as coblet had the same surgery bilaterally in both the hinds on the 2nd May. We’ve completed the walking twice daily from 5- 30 mins and were now hacking for up to an hour 2-3 times a week, coblet really isn’t liking me asking him to introduce even a few strides of trot and is sore and uncomfortable again and I keep resorting to giving him danilon. Got the vet coming this Wednesday for another 4 week check up but I’m not feeling too positive currently. I’m in communication with another poster also whose horse had the same surgery a couple of weeks behind mine.

 

[paddi22]

we got a horse surrendered to us still lame after annular ligament surgery with last owner. We brought it to a top lameness vet, and on further inspection, they found a ddft tear that the original vet's equipment hadn't found as it wasn't modern enough.

 

[pistolpete]

Reading with interest as my share horse had surgery three weeks ago so just starting walking rehab and so far so good.

 

[Marigold4]

A previous horse of mine had this surgery. Probably not what you want to hear but she never returned to full work. After two years of on-off lameness, I retired her. My current vet (a well=known sports vet) says he won't do this surgery as it does not have a good long-term success rate. I'm not posting that to depress you, but may be useful info for those who are considering the surgery in the future and looking for information about this type of surgery.

 

[Zoeypxo]

A friend of mine had a horse that had this done
He unfortunately never came sound after months and months of box rest injections and all the works.

 

[thatsnotmyname]

A previous horse of mine had this surgery. Probably not what you want to hear but she never returned to full work. After two years of on-off lameness, I retired her. My current vet (a well=known sports vet) says he won't do this surgery as it does not have a good long-term success rate. I'm not posting that to depress you, but may be useful info for those who are considering the surgery in the future and looking for information about this type of surgery.

Was your horse diagnosed with a primary or secondary desimitis prior to surgery?

 

[AmyMay]

I’ve known of two that had the surgery. Neither returned to full work.

 

[thatsnotmyname]

For balance… Troubleshooter had this surgery in ancient times when it was more open surgeries. Went to compete at Europeans and WEG.

2 regular posters and on older threads (can’t remember names!!) one went back to a busy PC home, one went back to eventing and hunting into late 20s.

As with ANY surgery the success rate of return to work depends on so many factors that you won’t know about on other folks horses.

It is what it is and you can’t change the outcome. Follow the prescribed rehab and try think to positively.

The procedure is a lot less invasive than it used to be, there are vet journals online that describe the rates of success being 85%.

 

[Marigold4]

For balance… Troubleshooter had this surgery in ancient times when it was more open surgeries. Went to compete at Europeans and WEG.

2 regular posters and on older threads (can’t remember names!!) one went back to a busy PC home, one went back to eventing and hunting into late 20s.

As with ANY surgery the success rate of return to work depends on so many factors that you won’t know about on other folks horses.

It is what it is and you can’t change the outcome. Follow the prescribed rehab and try think to positively.

The procedure is a lot less invasive than it used to be, there are vet journals online that describe the rates of success being 85%.

When the researchers measure success rates, how long do they follow horses for? Not trying to make a point, genuinely interested in the answer. If my vet had asked at 3 months how we were getting on (hopeful of success), I would have given a different answer to if vet had asked at 2 years (v disappointed).

 

[thatsnotmyname]

When the researchers measure success rates, how long do they follow horses for? Not trying to make a point, genuinely interested in the answer. If my vet had asked at 3 months how we were getting on (hopeful of success), I would have given a different answer to if vet had asked at 2 years (v disappointed).

https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/evj.12323_9

Quite! A good counter point!
One would hope if they had reached full return to athletic fitness that they were out doing a job.

Out of the 3 I know of that were successful, it was a long term success BUT I will caveat with…

The thickening/tightening was the primary issue.
There was no damage to manica, DDFT or sheaths or anything else in there.
Had the horse developed compensatory issues elsewhere?

How long is a piece of string!

My friends horse damaged a front suspensory, badly.
Went on to win at advanced, compete 4* and then as they got older went on to show someone the ropes at 100.
Others might not be so lucky!

It’s easy to be prescriptive and say well my horse had this surgery and so did my friends and it didn’t work, when there are so many initial precursors to the surgery and then factors in the surgery recovery which influence a successful outcome.

I’m sorry that it didn’t help your pony

 

[daffy44]

I had a horse that had this surgery and made a very full recovery, and was never bothered by the anuular ligament again. But the tightening/thickening was the primary issue, there were no other problems at all, it was caught early, the op was done bilaterally, I followed the vets rehab plan to the letter, and the horse went back to full work quite quickly as far as I can remember. This was over a decade ago, so protocols are probably different now, but it worked brilliantly and never caused an issue again.

 

[piglet2001]

I wonder if your vet has rushed the rehabilitation program. I have known a few horses have the surgery - all successfully. However they were walking, with a small amount of trot in straight lines on a firm surface at this point. They were certainly not cantering or schooling. I would be speaking to a vet who specialises in sports medicine and rehabilitation (someone with a diplomat, not who just has an ‘interest’).

 

[acw295]

Mine had surgery in one, she made a full recovery but I gave up jumping her. She was 19 and I decided that I didn’t want to risk it. I took the rehab incredibly slowly though with straight line hacking for ages and being incredibly careful with ground.

We got another 6 years of full work before the other one started to go and she was retired at 25 and pts at 26 because she lost all flexion in the fetlock on the other. She couldn’t have it injected though as she had EMS, and she was too old for more surgery. If she had been younger I’d have done the other. They go in pairs.

 

[SEL]

I decided against having the surgery. It has a good success rate so long as its not secondary to something else and my pony has wonky bones in her feet.

I actually has an argument with the vet about surely the ligament issues have been in response to what we can see in the feet. They couldn't really answer me and just pushed for surgery.

Supportive shoeing has made a huge difference though. Plus a very, very slow steady rehab