MRI Results in... Diagnosis: Impar Ligament

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The vet has just phoned me and I have tried to write everything down that he was saying so I did not forget anything...

The ligament she has some slight inflammation in is the Impar Ligament which attaches the navicular bone to the base of the coffin joint (I think???). There has been no destablisation of the joint, and there are no lesions etc so it looks as though we have caught this quite early in its progress.

It appears that the ligament is being aggrevated by the fact her heels are low.

The next step is to put Eggbars on, with the Equipac and she can do 25 minutes of walking daily under saddle. Over three weeks this will increase to 35 minutes. She is also going to have something called IRAP used to inject the coffin joint and promote healing within the ligament.

He seems to think she will be back competing by October at the latest (he asked me when the next competition is and that is the only one I have planned...) so it does not look so doomy ad gloomy as it did this time yesterday!

She can be turned out in a small pen if she will not hoon around so I may give her some sedalin and put her in the round pen for an hour a day just to keep her brain active and ticking over.

Has anyone else had any experience with the Impar Ligament?
 
This doesn't sound to bad.

Oskar had IRAP for his hock last year, it was easy and (I think) effective.

Well done you for catching this so early and preventing it from getting worse.

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xxxxx
 
I think I am still in shock at the moment that there is something there
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I am frantically trying to find info on the internet about inflammation to the Impar ligmament, but it is all coming back in reference to other damage within the hoof which through the MRI we now know she does not have.
 
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I am frantically trying to find info on the internet about inflammation to the Impar ligmament

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i know it's hard but try not to do this!! everytime i do it i get myself in a right state as it always seems to only be bad news that i can find..

go with what your vet has said, he has given a good prognosis.
glad to hear it is nothing sinister, well done for catching it early - i hope she makes a swift recovery
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It's one of those ligaments that they always knew was there but were only able to diagnose problems in post-mortem due to its location. Now that there's MRI/CAT scanning it's getting a bit more attention as is can be visualised in a live horse.
 
[ QUOTE ]
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I am frantically trying to find info on the internet about inflammation to the Impar ligmament

[/ QUOTE ]

i know it's hard but try not to do this!! everytime i do it i get myself in a right state as it always seems to only be bad news that i can find..

go with what your vet has said, he has given a good prognosis.
glad to hear it is nothing sinister, well done for catching it early - i hope she makes a swift recovery
smile.gif


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Ditto this, try and not google it. Generally you only come uo with negative stories and information that is less than useless to you.

Do you have any decent veterinary books at home? Looking in these would be better for you!! (honest) If not I can look through some of mine and scan in anything useful.

I'm pleased the news isn't as horrendus as it could have been.
 
No, I did have a fantastic lameness one but I let someone borrow it who then moved off the yard
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Any info would be greatly received right now.

It does seem linked to Navicular Syndrome when there are more than just this symptom, so thankfully the MRI told us that there are no other issues going on within the two fronts. I have found quite a good article which says up until the MRI could diagnose the impar ligament desmitis, it was assumed it was all linked to navicular. Now they can assess the beginnings of the inflammation, it is becoming clear that perhaps the strain of the injured ligament can actually cause changes which then result in navicular. So, had I left it and continued to work her, we could, in theory, have ended up with navicular.
 
I have a arsenal of vet books at home. I'm at work right now. I shall PM you anything of interest I can find after I've done the horses tonight!
 
Thank you hellspells... I very much appreciate that!

Now I have come off the phone to the vet, I am starting to realise all the questions I failed to ask him
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Going to write them all down for the next time we speak, which should be quite soon as we need to organise when she is having the first injection done.
 
Its no porblem at all.

Thats very normal, coming off the phone and realising you haven't asked 101 questions!! As you say make a list (and take it everywhere with you - questions come to me at the oddest times, food shopping, out hacking, sat at work etc)!
 
Our mare had damage to the impar ligament, but like you said hers was in conjunction with lots of other damage in the foot including severe damaage to the DDFT. Even with all that she still came hacking sound so I'm sure Grace will be back to herself soon!
 
IRAP therapy is great! I believe it was the difference between Ludo becoming sound following his collatoral ligament arthoscopy operation and not. It has an accumulative affect so you might not see a great deal of difference after the first injection but a big one after the 2nd, 3rd etc. Although Ludo only had 4 injection, enough bloods were taken to do 7. No idea what happened to the other 3 or if they are still in the freezer up at shelf!
 
Thank you so much to everyone...

I do not know anything about the ligaments in the foot. I am a walking encyclopedia on the suspensory ligament, but this has me completely flumoxed! And if I am honest, the initial panic is still there a little but I am no where near as upset as I was when she was diagnosed with PSD.
 
Just found a great diagram:

http://www.horseshoes.com/anatomy/horsesense/horsesense.htm

This makes complete sense now. Because her heels are low it is putting extra pressure on the impar ligament. Once the angle of the foot improves (which it has done slightly since Jan) the stress on the ligament should reduce and therefore the chance of re-injury is less.

Could someone explain how the eggbars will help?
 
Basically eggbars with raise and support the heels. Combined with a shorter breakover at the toe, they should help a lot. I'm sure Grace will be better than ever in no time!
 
Thanks Halfstep... the vet said one option was wedges but that he was not a fan because although short term they can help, long term they crush the heel and prevent it from growing which causes a whole heap of problems in itself. Does this make sense?

I am really novicey when it comes to feet... sort of learning as I go a little bit here
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So because her heels are low and the toe grows long and runs away from her, this will put added pressure onto the Impar ligament? Which would then explain why she is perfectly sound for the first few weeks of shoeing, but then gets a little footy towards the end?
 
Yes spot on. That is the theory behind eggbars at least. Raise the heel, and move the breakover back by rolling the toe. Wedges are out of fashion because of exactly the reasons you said. Eggbars are the devil themselves to keep on but they do work.

Put a post in New Lounge, there are a few farriers who post in there and they might be able to chime in. (but beware the barefoot lunatics LOL
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xx
 
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Yes spot on. That is the theory behind eggbars at least. Raise the heel, and move the breakover back by rolling the toe. Wedges are out of fashion because of exactly the reasons you said. Eggbars are the devil themselves to keep on but they do work.

Put a post in New Lounge, there are a few farriers who post in there and they might be able to chime in. (but beware the barefoot lunatics LOL
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xx

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We're not all lunatics. I've just taken my horse barefoot. My last farrier basically butchered his feet (the same farrier that I think Becki used to use) and he was getting hoof flare on OF with associated filling up on the inside of his leg after hard work. Since swapping shoes for barefoot or hoof boots whilst competing that problem has disappeared. He now has no hoof flare and no leg swelling after hard work. For hard work read 40 mile endurance rides - a good five hours solid trotting and cantering.

Sorry to hear about Grace Becki - you really don't seem to have much luck. I don't know enough about barefoot and rehabilitating horses yet to give you advice but what I would say is look at the angle of hoof growth coming straight out of the coronory band. That's the angle the hoof wants to grow at. Often putting shoes on can force the hoof to grow at an unnatural angle - hence long toe/low heel syndrome. Lots of interesting research work is being done here http://rockleyfarm.co.uk/research.html But it's early days in their research and your vet is one of the experts in the field so I totally wouldn't go against his advice at this point. Have you stopped using that farrier that I started using? Hope so because he really shouldn't be let anywhere near a living breathing horse's feet.
 
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