Rehab for a tendon injury...how tough might it be?

sheep said:
Oh yes, I used the same.
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Which of these, or both would you recommend?

No bute now for several days and my horse's fetlock is cool, and swelling reduced but not completely resolved. Swelling is soft and behaving like a windgall (fluid moves easily from side to side) and is symmetrical to each side on that leg. There is a relatively small difference between the injured leg and her other foreleg - not really noticeable to see but possible to feel.

She is currently sound in walk, including on turns. I have not trotted her up, of course and she is on yard rest with company during the day. Scanning is tomorrow and tbh I am slightly beside myself with worry as to what will be found. But, she is perky and I am glad she is at least gently improving in terms of obvious symptoms - that has to be encouraging, right? Please keep everything crossed for her!
 
Cragrat said:
I really rate the Horseware Ice Vibes. I do use the Arc, but honestly I have no idea how much it helps. I would say the vet is very pleased with his re-scans though.
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Yes Ice vibes are great. A lot of people use them just for icing but they're useful for warming up the legs before exercise as well as cooling down afterwards.
 
I also used Ice Vibes, not in replace of hosing, but to help keep my boys legs down when he was stood in on stable rest. They worked very well to reduce puffy legs.

I also use them after hard exercise for my horses now.
 
SOS said:
I also used Ice Vibes, not in replace of hosing, but to help keep my boys legs down when he was stood in on stable rest. They worked very well to reduce puffy legs.

I also use them after hard exercise for my horses now.
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They're an amazing bit of kit. I'm thinking of buying my own long wave ultrasound machine too.
 
Update: equine vet has been and the scanner failed to work...🙄😥 but from the presentation and progression, my vet is confident that actually Alw has bashed her annular ligament, with no tendon involvement. We may scan in a month but for now, rest and icing will continue before gently introducing some walk work to see how the injury has settled. If need be, steroids and then surgery are possibilities but vet doesn't think we need to consider either at this point. God, I am beyond relieved that this seems resolvable. Alw is sound on a hard surface and turning in walk and trot which vet was really pleased about. I have iced her leg like a blooming ice demon and will continue with that. Thank you for all the experience sharing: we will need to rehab but hopefully it won't be as tough as I thought, nor with the uncertainty of a tendon injury. I know things can change but for now, I am feeling so relieved and reassured. I'm very grateful for the specialist expertise and experience of my vet too.
 
palo1 said:
Update: equine vet has been and the scanner failed to work...🙄😥 but from the presentation and progression, my vet is confident that actually Alw has bashed her annular ligament, with no tendon involvement. We may scan in a month but for now, rest and icing will continue before gently introducing some walk work to see how the injury has settled. If need be, steroids and then surgery are possibilities but vet doesn't think we need to consider either at this point. God, I am beyond relieved that this seems resolvable. Alw is sound on a hard surface and turning in walk and trot which vet was really pleased about. I have iced her leg like a blooming ice demon and will continue with that. Thank you for all the experience sharing: we will need to rehab but hopefully it won't be as tough as I thought, nor with the uncertainty of a tendon injury. I know things can change but for now, I am feeling so relieved and reassured. I'm very grateful for the specialist expertise and experience of my vet too.
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Wow I'm beyond happy for you, that's amazing news.

Make sure they give you a big discount on your bill for the lack of scanner!
 
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It’s great that Alw is feeling more comfortable 🙂.

I’d still want that annular ligament scanned to check exactly what damage there might be. Annular ligaments can be tricky feckers. The vet ought (and my vets defo would) come out again for no charge seeing as they brought a faulty scanner out first time.
 
Tiddlypom said:
It’s great that Alw is feeling more comfortable 🙂.

I’d still want that annular ligament scanned to check exactly what damage there might be. Annular ligaments can be tricky feckers. The vet ought (and my vets defo would) come out again for no charge seeing as they brought a faulty scanner out first time.
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Yes, we probably will scan in a month. The referral vet is hugely experienced and was clear about different ways forward if it turns out to be a tricky fecker! She is a very straightforward vet who would not have hesitated to advise another appointment asap if she was concerned about potential issues with the tendons I think. Thanks though for that - it is no good being complacent!
 
Clozer1999 said:
I know it’s been a while but am currently in this situation, dreading g and hoping at the same. How is your horse doing now?
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Well, in August my mare had a full assessment: that included assessment in a straight line and on the lunge, small circles, hard ground etc. I could literally hardly watch, feeling completely sick! This was after yard rest and a month of in hand walk work with reasonably free turnout which was deemed preferable to small paddock turnout. She wasn't particularly sensible in the field tbh. After the work up she was pronounced beautifully sound so we scanned to see what the AL looked like. No tear at all and what my vet described as insignificant swelling. This can be tricky to assess in some types and breeds but the average AL has a depth of 2mm I think. Alw's measured 2.2mm - when injured they are usually far bigger but without scanning her other fore it's not possible to know if this is normal for her or just marginally swollen. The referral vet felt nothing else at all was needed and signed my lovely girl off. I've actually given her several more months of field rest to help her recover mentally from yard rest, bute etc. She's been back in walk work since early January but the weather has made progress slow! We started a little trot work this week but I have also had airs above the ground, cantering on the spot and giving occasional puddles about 4foot...😂

I'm so glad to have given her time - I've got confidence, as much as possible(!) in her soundness and the break has allowed her to really relax. I'm loving being back in that particular saddle again though and I'm hoping we can go forwards confidently and happily.I

I hope your horse does well and has a good outcome too.
 
palo1 said:
Well, in August my mare had a full assessment: that included assessment in a straight line and on the lunge, small circles, hard ground etc. I could literally hardly watch, feeling completely sick! This was after yard rest and a month of in hand walk work with reasonably free turnout which was deemed preferable to small paddock turnout. She wasn't particularly sensible in the field tbh. After the work up she was pronounced beautifully sound so we scanned to see what the AL looked like. No tear at all and what my vet described as insignificant swelling. This can be tricky to assess in some types and breeds but the average AL has a depth of 2mm I think. Alw's measured 2.2mm - when injured they are usually far bigger but without scanning her other fore it's not possible to know if this is normal for her or just marginally swollen. The referral vet felt nothing else at all was needed and signed my lovely girl off. I've actually given her several more months of field rest to help her recover mentally from yard rest, bute etc. She's been back in walk work since early January but the weather has made progress slow! We started a little trot work this week but I have also had airs above the ground, cantering on the spot and giving occasional puddles about 4foot...😂

I'm so glad to have given her time - I've got confidence, as much as possible(!) in her soundness and the break has allowed her to really relax. I'm loving being back in that particular saddle again though and I'm hoping we can go forwards confidently and happily.I

I hope your horse does well and has a good outcome too.
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Wow, it great that she has been signed off! Also gives me hope for my mare.
Just like me to find my dream horse and after 6 months she hits the back of her tendon herself :confused:
 
MoodyFox_13 said:
It’s painful and hard. Especially if they don’t progress how you hope in the start. Mine did his sdft getting stuck in mud. At the worst spot a roughly 25% tear back in February. We used a type of stem cell treatment called renovo that oddly worked a bit too well and we ended up with a bow below the worst part of the injury not even a week later so had to start all over again. He also started turn out as soon as he was comfortable enough to walk out to the medic paddock. Mind you not sound but where he was wanting to walk more during hand grazings. About 3 days after the injury. While our vet is more a fan of stall rest she agreed for him the pros out weigh the cons. His last attempt at stall rest resulted in a jumped wheelbarrow and him running around for 20 minutes absolutely feral. This horse is probably the easiest thing on earth to catch but he was over it and let everyone know. He’s also 22 with cushings and fusing hocks. Stall rest just isn’t in the cards when he is a lovely chap in turn out. Anyway the first 2-3 months were yeah the tear is looking good healing very nicely but that bow is angry. We were cleared to hand walk however with the fact that he was walking 98% sound on it and last month started him with pemf. That was a game changer. A month later you can see the fibers and that tear you actively have to search for where it was to find the signs it was there at all. He’s feeling fresh and great and we’re actually long lining our walks in the back hay field for some mental stimulation and help him use his body. I’m a strong believer in Dr. Green and modern treatments. Trial and error and they’re going to be stupid and at some point you just gotta let them and either the tendon will strengthen to the job required of it or the tendon was never going to heal properly and hold.
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Sorry to reactivate everything again 😅 but your horses injury in next to exact to mine (30% lesion/tear)

Can I ask how your horses is now?
Thank you!
 
Clozer1999 said:
Sorry to reactivate everything again 😅 but your horses injury in next to exact to mine (30% lesion/tear)

Can I ask how your horses is now?
Thank you!
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Well that tendon is looking amazing! Too bad he just did the other one in near identical fashion 5 days post the anniversary of his original tendon injury 😅 but the original is healing really well. I’m starting hofmag treatments already (1 week since injury) so we’ll see if it works as good as it did last time. That’s when I saw the most progress also injecting stem cells. I used what’s called renovo that has shown major promise in the US but I’m not sure about it’s availability here in the UK
 
MoodyFox_13 said:
Well that tendon is looking amazing! Too bad he just did the other one in near identical fashion 5 days post the anniversary of his original tendon injury 😅 but the original is healing really well. I’m starting hofmag treatments already (1 week since injury) so we’ll see if it works as good as it did last time. That’s when I saw the most progress also injecting stem cells. I used what’s called renovo that has shown major promise in the US but I’m not sure about it’s availability here in the UK
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Amazing to hear about the first injury. Unbelievable about his new one, how did he do that? :oops:

Hopefully he heals just as well as the first time. Mine had stem cells too and am no trying out the Arc Equine and she gets red light therapy (brand is called Cellkick).
The things we do for our horses haha
 
Clozer1999 said:
Amazing to hear about the first injury. Unbelievable about his new one, how did he do that? :oops:

Hopefully he heals just as well as the first time. Mine had stem cells too and am no trying out the Arc Equine and she gets red light therapy (brand is called Cellkick).
The things we do for our horses haha
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He did it near exact same way as the first 😅 bad heavy rains the night before and end of day got stuck coming out of the mud. Even pulled his shoe again
 
Clozer1999 said:
That's such bad luck I'm sorry, you're no alone if that helps 😅
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It’s the nature of horses. We’re just going to wait and see. I do think this one is a result of him not being able to move as much here in the UK. He was on 20 acres of niiiice Kentucky rolling hills so he was walking a lot because the most he would be in was 8 hours during the winter and even that was only if there was nasty weather at night
 
MoodyFox_13 said:
It’s the nature of horses. We’re just going to wait and see. I do think this one is a result of him not being able to move as much here in the UK. He was on 20 acres of niiiice Kentucky rolling hills so he was walking a lot because the most he would be in was 8 hours during the winter and even that was only if there was nasty weather at night
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Yeah, they find it too easy to break themselves. I find it such a hard process, my horse has had some heat the last few days with the warmer weather which it stressing me out haha.
 
Clozer1999 said:
Yeah, they find it too easy to break themselves. I find it such a hard process, my horse has had some heat the last few days with the warmer weather which it stressing me out haha.
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I found it to be just very back and forth. Some days the tendon would look bigger others it looked like great progress it’s just the healing process of remodelling. I think the worst time I had was when everything was frozen in Kentucky so I had to use a bucket a cup and a cloth wrapped around the leg and just pour cold water on it because as much as I want to love ice boots I find they get hot too fast for my liking
 
I view tendons a bit differently since doing the same injury myself. I had a fall a few years ago where I tore all the tendons in my ankle, it was a big mess. Anyway few years on and I consider it healed. But if I do a bit too much (usually a lot of riding in short stirrups for jumping or XC) then it swells, gets sore and hot. Give it a few days and it settles down again and I'm pain-free. Experiencing it first hand has made me realise just why tendon injuries are so tricky 🙄 I think damaged tendons are always weak but I'm less likely now to go into a complete pit of despair when a previously damaged tendon in my horses shows a bit of heat or seems 'off', I rest, ice and then get vet involved as needed but I take it with a pinch of salt that the tendon will likely never be 'perfect' again but that doesn't mean it's a write-off and horse can't continue, I just accept they will be a bit more fragile in the future, but a step back doesn't always mean being back to square one.
 
KikiDee said:
I view tendons a bit differently since doing the same injury myself. I had a fall a few years ago where I tore all the tendons in my ankle, it was a big mess. Anyway few years on and I consider it healed. But if I do a bit too much (usually a lot of riding in short stirrups for jumping or XC) then it swells, gets sore and hot. Give it a few days and it settles down again and I'm pain-free. Experiencing it first hand has made me realise just why tendon injuries are so tricky 🙄 I think damaged tendons are always weak but I'm less likely now to go into a complete pit of despair when a previously damaged tendon in my horses shows a bit of heat or seems 'off', I rest, ice and then get vet involved as needed but I take it with a pinch of salt that the tendon will likely never be 'perfect' again but that doesn't mean it's a write-off and horse can't continue, I just accept they will be a bit more fragile in the future, but a step back doesn't always mean being back to square one.
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That would definitely give you a good insight, thank you for that! There are just so many horror stories around tendons that you end up thinking the worst with any change. My vet has advised me to go back down to 10 minutes a day just in case. Now we wait until her next scan 27th of March so fingers crossed!

Good management is something I am defiantly striving for now and later, would love to be go up the levels with her in dressage (no rush or pressure at all as just an amateur with a little dream haha).
Just hope that all works out as she is the sweetest mare, though proven not a horse that wants to be contained/controlled while out of work. Some days she more kite that horse haha
 
Clozer1999 said:
That would definitely give you a good insight, thank you for that! There are just so many horror stories around tendons that you end up thinking the worst with any change. My vet has advised me to go back down to 10 minutes a day just in case. Now we wait until her next scan 27th of March so fingers crossed!

Good management is something I am defiantly striving for now and later, would love to be go up the levels with her in dressage (no rush or pressure at all as just an amateur with a little dream haha).
Just hope that all works out as she is the sweetest mare, though proven not a horse that wants to be contained/controlled while out of work. Some days she more kite that horse haha
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Coth (chronicles of the horse) has a lot more positive stories I’ve found if you wanted to look on those also remember setbacks can happen and they will definitely give you heart palpitations especially if they do something a little stupid but most things will progress and ultimately those tendons will eventually have to hold up to shenanigans so just take it slow and talk with your vet and drugs when they get to go out 😂 all the drugs
 
MoodyFox_13 said:
Coth (chronicles of the horse) has a lot more positive stories I’ve found if you wanted to look on those also remember setbacks can happen and they will definitely give you heart palpitations especially if they do something a little stupid but most things will progress and ultimately those tendons will eventually have to hold up to shenanigans so just take it slow and talk with your vet and drugs when they get to go out 😂 all the drugs
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Its a time of testing the dedication we have for sure haha. Hopefully will look back in years time and think there was no need for all this stress ;)
 
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