Quadriceps strain?

[ycbm]

The boys have been playing too hard and it looks like Joe has a quadriceps strain. There is some filling which comes and goes but it's above the patella and not near the stifle joint or over the patellar ligaments. Since he's not in work anyway vet says rest and watch. He is slightly unsound on it only on hard ground on the right rein, it's his left hind.

I can hardly find a thing written online about quadriceps strains. It would seem that they are most often found with barrel racers. I know exactly when he did it, I was in earshot of the ruckus, and he was initially pretty lame on it for a few days but much better now.

Has anyone got any experience of this injury? Did you need to box rest to get a repair? How long did it take?
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[ycbm]

Bumpy bump. It looks like this is a very unusual injury!
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[Zuzan]

Think the general rules re muscle / soft tissue apply .. gentle movement is good .. support the circulatory system and lymphatic system (to help remove the swelling). Not sure where you are with Joe's training but some work in hand / ground work could be helpful to ensure the healing is even and doesn't pull other muscles etc out.

 

[ycbm]

Think the general rules re muscle / soft tissue apply .. gentle movement is good .. support the circulatory system and lymphatic system (to help remove the swelling). Not sure where you are with Joe's training but some work in hand / ground work could be helpful to ensure the healing is even and doesn't pull other muscles etc out.

He's been sat on for a few minutes a few times, so I've just got that on hold for now of course. I've got no idea what ground work to do with that injury and my physio is doing urgent things only at the moment.
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[stangs]

You might want to post on a US horse forum or a barrel racing FB group, not sure how active they’ll be but should give more lived-in experience..?

Otherwise, ditto above poster about gentle in hand exercise. I’ve not got any experience with this kind of strain, but I do have a lot of experience with my own muscle issues and keeping it moving to prevent stiffening etc is what I always do. Box rest would be counter-productive imo.

If I were you, I’d be doing a little in hand walking in an arena, maybe some poles, maybe circling around a jump wing, etc, to get him using the leg in different ways (but in a low pressure manner where he can avoid/compensate for pain).

 

[ycbm]

I think this was a very unusual injury! I got no useful response from the US forum I tried. I'm just updating for future reference to say that after several weeks of gradual improvement, he's sound and was back in "work" today. All 5 minutes of it

I don't know why I wrote hard ground in the opening post, it was soft ground he was lame on and I never even tried him on hard ground on a circle ?
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[Trouper]

No experience at all of this particular area but if you are sure it is pure muscle strain then I would massage with Arnica ointment if you can. The one thing that always eases my muscle strain when I have been overdoing the exercising and helps the healing.

 

[Rowreach]

I think this was a very unusual injury! I got no useful response from the US forum I tried. I'm just updating for future reference to say that after several weeks of gradual improvement, he's sound and was back in "work" today. All 5 minutes of it

I don't know why I wrote hard ground in the opening post, it was soft ground he was lame on and I never even tried him on hard ground on a circle ?
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I'm not sure if it's an unusual injury or an injury that is often undiagnosed, because it's a difficult one in horses unless it's severe , in which case it can sometimes present as a bulge and be very tender on palpation. How did your vet decide that's what it was?

It's good news that he's sound again anyway. Treatment depends on the severity of the strain so whatever you did must have worked.

 

[ycbm]

I heard the ruckus of them messing in the barn and I saw the swelling as it started. It was clearly above and well clear of the patella, at the site of the quadriceps ligament where it attaches to the femur. I've had one horse before who was lame for a couple of days with a swelling in exactly the same place but he was better before the vet even visited. I think I was lucky first to have heard what caused it right at the time and secondly to have a defined bit of filling in a very specific location. It was never sore to palpate, strangely. I have noticed that the little fella has a strong inflammatory reaction to things other horses would brush off, it seems to be his "thing".

My vet was happy for him to be field rested, which was hardly difficult as he's not in proper work anyway, just occasionally being sat on. Quite a relief that he's sound now though.
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