Collateral ligaments

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Marchtime

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My 10yr old TB was diagnosed with chronic wear to his medial collateral ligament in his right fore following an MRI at Liphook. This was roughly a year ago now. He was turned away for six months and has since been brought back in to work (very slowly). We had the odd set back mainly caused by him messing about in the field but he has been sound pretty much since the rest period. Until this week he was hacking twice a week and doing some basic schooling (Prelim level with a bit of Novice but no small circles etc)
The last few weeks he's been very behind the leg and unwilling to go forward. His stride has also shortened. I've called the vets and they're coming out Monday. The vet wants to nerve block to check the ligament is the issue and if it is he wants me to reduce his workload back down to light hacking.
So anyone out here had similar set backs with this injury? What treatment have you tried?
 
Our big gelding has a lameness that nerve blocks sound when it goes into the coffin joint. Vet says its 75% chance of CJ arthritis and 25% chance of collateral ligament damage. This was back in April/May. He had the summer on individual turnout, Steroid injection into coffin joint,Adequan intramuscular injections and a fancy glucosamine supplement.

He seemed sound and was no longer pointing the affected foot at rest by beginning of September so we slowly brought back into work, no roadwork or jumping.We noticed that he was starting to point the foot again last week and wasnt sound on the lunge so we called the vet and he isnt happy the steroid wore off so fast so J is now on 3 x Cartrophen injections and the vet wants to refer him for an Arthroscopy operation as our next move.
 
Ludo damaged his collateral ligement about 2 years ago. He had surgery - an arthoscopy - was in a cast up to his knee for 3 weeks and a short one up to his fetlock for another 3 weeks. With over 5 months box/field rest in total he came back into work in October 2006. By the December he was sound on the straight but not on a circle. Vet recommended IRAP therapy into the joint - we had 4 of these at 2 month intervals. We weren't allowed to canter until about the March-April time but by August (just over a year since the Op) he was back doing normal work and jumping. This year we've gone from strength to strength and just last weekend managed to do our 2nd XC schooling sessions since the Op (weather/ground reasons not the injury had prevented us from doing more). Ludo is now totally sound and at 15 shows no sign of any issues from the injury or the Op.

When he was diagnosed, the vet (who's also H's Mum and Jetset's Grace vet/surgeon) gave him a 70% chance of full recovery, but the one thing that I do remember him saying was that we could have just stuck Ludo on box and then field rest without the Op but in his (vet) opinion, that the chance of successful recovery from that sort of injury is much less. Now, I appreciate he could have said that just to get the cash out of the operation but all I know is that the Op/IRAP worked for us and next year I'm hoping to do our first BE Intro; as I'm already over 40, we'll probably be the oldest combination on the course LOL.

Good luck and hope it all works out as well for you as it has (so far) for us.

G
 
Thanks for the replies
Lapland - he's had two lots of joint injections but the vet doesn't want to inject again as he feels it wont help as there is little damage to the actual joint.

Ludi - Surgery wasn't an option for Jesper. He wouldn't have tolerated the cast nor box rest so we turned him away and tried shock wave therapy. Isn't an arthoscopy to clean up the joint? Jesper doesn't have any associated joint damage or problems so I'm not the issue could be solved with surgery. I know IRAP can be successful but I thought it was mainly in cases of acute injury or where the injury was new? Jesper took awhile to get diagnosed and his injury is chronic so I didn't think IRAP was an option. Was Ludo's injury acute or chronic? Thank you for your information, I might talk through IRAP with my vet. I never expect him to jump (he was too many other problems!) but I'd love it if I could get him sound enough to do some Prelim and Novice dressage.
 
I have to admit I was very, very lucky with Ludo - he loves his stable and so box rest wasn't a problem - except to begin with when he'd bang his cast foot on the stable door for atttention! I had to put up a grill over the top door!!

To be honest I'm embarrased to say I don't know whether the injury was acute or chronic but yes you're right the arthoscopy was to clean the joint, the original injury mean the joint was moving side to side as well as back/forward, hence the debris in the joint. IRAP was major difference,I don't believe he'd ever have been 100% without it. It has an accumulative affect, I didn't see much difference after the first injection, but from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th the difference was amazing. Certainly worth a discussion with your vet.
 
Thanks Ludi I've got the vet booked so will definitely talk it through with him. Jesper's joint doesn't seem to be compromised, probably because the damage is chronic, so at least I can rule out surgery.
Do you have any idea of how much the IRAP treatment cost - sadly we're out of insurance so whilst I know Dad will fund it a rough idea might be good!
 
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