PSD surgery! any advice?

[april_1]

Hellooo....

My mare has recently been diagnosed with PSD and we have been told by the vet that shockwave and steroid injections won't work and don't work. I am a little apprehensive about the operation and obviously the rehabilitation afterwards. She also has sacroiliac pain but our vet assured us that she will medicate that after the op.
Any advice or past experiences would be most appreciated!

 

[gunnergundog]

Need more information......how old is your horse, what level is it currently working at, what area are you in, who are your vets, how good is your farrier, who is your physio ?

All of the above ( and more) will impact on the outcome.

My own experience has been positive, but only-term short term and at a lower level than that at which the horse was previously performing.

 

[ycbm]

I hope your vet has ruled out kissing spines? Both psd and sacroiliac pain are often present with kissing spines. Can't help on the psd operation I'm afraid. I believe it denerves, and that isn't something I would do.

 

[april_1]

She is only 10 and does unaffiliated show jumping as well as general hacking and fun rides. Our Farrier and physio are good so that shouldn't be a problem.

Was your horse competing at a high level? Would you recommend the surgery, any information about your experience would be really helpful.

 

[whiteflower]

mine has had psd surgery and the surgery itself and recovery went well......however.....the rehab with mine has been long and up and down. he had sacroiliac pain (very mild changes) that were medicated but also very mild kissing spines which i was told were basically irrelevant and probably compensatory.
since having surgery and removing the pain from the hocks its now become obvious that the kissing spines although mild is quite obviously affecting him and we are now going down the steroids and physio route. we are making progress but its slow. my vets did the isld op just before the psd op...big mistake, we could not rehab the back properly due to different rehab reqired for the psd op and therefore the isld op appears to have no affect and we are back at square one again with trying to rehab the back.
would i do the psd op again, yes with out question as long as the hind limb conformation was good, the only area that is denerved is a very small section at the top of the suspensory so any further down injury infurture would still show pain as would any other injury to the leg. i would however want to know exactly what involvement i had with back and sacroiliac first so i knew what the treatment plan was and in what order so that one procedure would not compromise another. good luck