Experience of severe groin strain/hip adductor damage?

starbar

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 April 2010
Messages
505
Visit site
Vibes and anyone with ANY experience of the above please...good or bad.

My boy has been on 7 weeks of box rest after a horrendous accident where he got stuck in a cattle grid (it wasn't in HIS field I hasten to add!). He is extremely lame on his near hind. There is little or no improvement and today has been a bad day. My local vet said bute and rest and a bit of walking out in hand which I have done. My very good chiropractor has seen him and thinks the problem is as per the title. Farrier came today and also concurred that it is not in the leg as such but up in the hip somewhere, There is no heat or swelling.

With one danilon a day he is lame but comfortable, I took him off Danilon to see if he could cope and he can't....he's had 2 today to bring it back under control. The leg is weight bearing...just, but he can't really flex it up and he is swinging it out to the side a bit when he walks. As rest it is also held out to the side.

I have got a very good horse specialist vet coming out to see him on Monday as after a conversation on the phone today he agrees that there shoud really be some improvement by now so it may be more than muscular :(

If anyone has got any experience of anything similar I would appreciate the sharing of some knowledge as I am worried sick. :(
 
Starbar, it sounds like a very similar injury to the one my horse incurred - he tore his meniscal ligament in his stifle. There was heat around the stifle area, but not a lot, and he couldn't really weight-bear on it. There wasn't any swelling. He was originally diagnosed with a fractured hock, although both my physio and I felt it was stifle related; the vets didn't even look at the stifle until almost 3 months later.

Unfortunately, if it is this, the prognosis is not good, about 70% of horses don't recover from this injury. I had mine PTS in October last year.

Star (mainly posts in CR) also had a horse with this, and her horse did recover enough to be ridden lightly.
 
Jennbags - I'm so sorry you lost your horse :(

I've had a good poke around the stifle, no heat, nothing. I THINK it is deeper within the hip. My chiropractor said the injury appeared to be similar to when a horse slips on ice and does the splits with his back legs...ouch.

I know I need to wait until Monday but it seems such a LONG way away at the moment and my gut instinct isn't good.
 
Oh NO... poor Des :( I'm REALLY sorry to be reading this, S.... has he been x-rayed at all?

Nope, not yet. Local vet said it was a big MUSCULAR injury and just needed time. Muscles should be healing after 7 weeks hence my call today to a very good equine clinic. They agreed should be some improvement and are coming out on Monday. They have all the kit and should he need to go up there then he will. He was SO lame today without Danilon he spent half the day flat out in his stable on his good side. Now buted up again he is back upright and just resting it. Am so worried :(
 
Starbar, how is he when getting up from lying down? Does he have trouble getting up?

I've been thinking about you & your poor horse - I probably didn't come over as very sympathetic in my post (just because I'm a very practical person & not good on the emotional side, not because I'm not feeling for you).

Will you PM me when the equine specialist has been out?
 
Jennbags - don't worry, your reply was fine...I was after experiences, good or bad, don't need the sympathy yet!! :) He is getting up OK but only lying on his good side so avoiding using his bad leg too much when he gets up.

amymay - I skipped the referral from my own vet and went straight to the specialist equine clinic myself. Their head vet is coming out to him on Monday. Keep everything crossed! I thinks its time to be scanning and x-raying but will see what they say.

The problem is, I KNOW this is a big injury but have no experience of a horse being broken in quite this way so don't know what to expect, etc
 
Jennbags - don't worry, your reply was fine...I was after experiences, good or bad, don't need the sympathy yet!! :) He is getting up OK but only lying on his good side so avoiding using his bad leg too much when he gets up.

amymay - I skipped the referral from my own vet and went straight to the specialist equine clinic myself. Their head vet is coming out to him on Monday. Keep everything crossed! I thinks its time to be scanning and x-raying but will see what they say.

The problem is, I KNOW this is a big injury but have no experience of a horse being broken in quite this way so don't know what to expect, etc

Have everything crossed for you Starbar. Keep us updated.
 
As an equine massage therapist I would say that if it was only muscular, there really should be definite improvement by now. The fact that there isn't, and that the horse is obviously still in quite a bit of pain, makes me think there must be at the least ligament damage, and possibly even a fracture in the hip/pelvic area. It is good that you're getting an all-singing, all-dancing check-up on Monday, fingers' crossed for you and your boy.
 
The vet has now been and not quite the good news I was hoping for. :( He has diagnosed medial ligament damage to the stifle. When he pressed on this area my boy nearly fell over. If it is just damage to the ligament it can be treated with steroids and lots of rest/tlc but he isn't sure if there is bone damage as well. :( ie : has the ligament damage pulled out a piece of bone.
We are off to the horsepital on Thursday for x-rays and will decide on what to do from there.
Vibes please as am still worried sick...
Oh, and experiences of medial ligament damage now would be appreciated!
 
So sorry it wasn't the news you wanted to hear. I have no experience if this, but am sending lots of vibes your way. Stay positive x
 
I am new to this forum and registered because of the above discussion....my 9 yr old AQH seems to have pulled his adductor muscle. There was swelling and heat above the stifle area but extreme swelling in the flank area. Vet looked at him and gave pain/inflammation meds and has me cold hose and clay poultice the area. After 4 days the swelling has gone down, but the lump in the flank area is still there and he picks up the leg everytime i try to put on the clay poultice. The above mentions x-rays and massage therapy....what other things can I try to help this injury?
 
Top