rehabilitation from tendon injury

[zulu705]

Hi there,

I have two questions really, related to my mares tendon injury. Got vet to ultrasound and it showed a disruption of fibres in the SDFT just below where it branches behind the pastern. She was lame for first month or so but now isn't and have been walking in hand (she is still on box rest till rescan in Feb) My quesions are
Does anyone have (good) experience of recovery from SDFT branch injuries?
What sort of recovery programme is best? Vet said walk building up time till rescan in Feb to see if OK to trot. Said I could ride in walk if I wanted. Currently just doing 10 mins twice a day in hand walk round school or on level track round yard but am planning to ride for 30 mins walk this weekend. Do you think slight inclines in the road will be OK? Also I'm assuming sharp turns and tight circles are best avoided but do you think its OK to lunge on a big circle?
Ok then 3 questions !
The last one is about other therapies, any thoughts on the following (good or bad) much appreciated.

Equissage
Magnets
Cortaflex
Linseed oil

Thanks

 

[sally2008]

I would definately advise proceeding with caution! The more long-term conditioning work you do for her recovery the better. If you are only walking her in hand for 10 minutes twice a day I would say that riding for 30 minutes at the weekend is too much and suggest starting with 10 minutes instead.

For me, lunging at this stage would be a total no-no.

I cannot see any benefit to using Equissage or Linseed Oil for this type of injury. MSM might be better alternative to Cortaflex. I know alot of people swear by magnets but I personally haven't used them.

 

[jomiln]

We have had good results of horses recovering from this and going back to competing at same level provided.

We use the hydrotherapy spa and controlled walking, either in hand, ridden or the horsewalker. We would never lunge as on the end of lunge line with a horse on box rest it does tempt them to go faster than a walk.

We build the time spent walking up very gradually and usually over 2 sessions a day.

We have used Bioflow boots on horses with lower leg problems but generally not the equissage unless they need that for their general well being due to being on box rest.

Hope that this helps and good luck

 

[kick_On]

my advise for tendon injurires are NOT to rush them. Controlled exercise at ALL times is the best and i would really really give more time..... and not rush, no matter how much you really really want to. Promise you time is the best healer with controlled exercise.
other therapies
Equissage-yeah
Magnets-yeah
Cortaflex-yeah

 

[zulu705]

Thanks for your replies.
I was going to increase her total time to 30 mins per day starting this weekend. I'll probably keep doing that in two in hand walking sessions for now then. My plan was to do 30 mins in December, 40 mins in Jan then up to 50 mins in Feb at walk before go for rescan. Does that sound good? I only thought about riding as vet said could but didn't realise that by combining the two sessions and riding would increase the risk.

 

[kick_On]

it not riding that increases risk, it's workload. I really really would take your foot off gas... if you know what i mean. I 've been there, got t-shirt eg....
Are you hope to compete your horse next year???,

 

[zulu705]

So even increasing walk by 10 mins a month is too much?
I usually compete 2 or 3 unaffilated novice hunter trials a year. Was thinking that we might do the one thats in October next year but had already worked out that that is probably not feasible. My mare is also 15 so healing might take longer. As long as shes OK to be in a field and hacked out thats fine. Would obviously like to jump again though.

 

[kick_On]

with tendon injuries, chuck all your plans out of window......
cos they all heal at different rates. You really need to sit down with you vet and work out a controlled exercise programme. My horse was out of competition for just over a year.... so if you think of the worst case which i'm not saying yours is and then everything thing is bonus....
You have to allow tendons to move regulary under controlled conditions and NOT under too much stress, so NO lunging , NO 20metre circle stuff. Yeah built up from 10 mins but really think.. if you push to hard now it will take long to get your jumping bunny back!!
Thats why i say take foot of gas..... enjoy grooming/washing your horse and making a fuss of her etc... see if you can rider other folks horses. And in no time at all it will be spring and then you can dare think about maybe doing something...

 

[Taboo1968]

These things cannot be rushed, and I would only start working a horse after having another scan done and knowing the results of that.... I have just put out on loan a horse that blew two thirds of his tendon in sept last year, and he is still going through the walking in hand stage.... and his new mummy only wants him to walk on so that is ideal for him!
Good luck, hope it all goes ok for you

 

[hollyzippo]

Zippo did his SDFT back in 2002. He had 1 month off in ickle paddock then vet suggested shock wave therapy as an alternative to a further 6-9 months off.
He had one session every 4 weeks - 3 sessions in total and scanned before and after. Over the 3 months of this we built up work from 5 mins twice a day walking in hand on road (no turns or circles of course!) to 20 mins twice daily ridden. Last scan was fab and u couldnt even see any fibrous changes! We then built up very gradully back up to full work and introduced trot etc and eventually- after couple more months schooling and then jumping. He did it in the sept and was competing at intro by next July.
Bear in mind all cases are different and I know I was lucky but shock wave def helped. I have taken one on our yard for it since that had broken down twice from same tendon injury and now- fingers crossed- all sound and in proper work!
Do need to build work up slowly and keep to hard surface to improve fibre build up tho- i think thats why mine worked well. Since his injury he has hunted in above knee height mud and evented on horrid hard ground (not good I know) and never been sore.
Shame he now has navicular!

 

[zulu705]

Thats encouraging (about the tendon, sorry about the navicular) How small was your ickle paddock? How old is Zippo? Where was the injury? Zulu's is low down beneath the fetlock joint in one of the branches, don't think that is the common bowed tendon place. How did he injure the tendon. My vet did mention the shock wave but said they don't do it there cause they weren't convinced of the science. I have read about on the internet. Might try find out more. Zulu did her's in September (this year) too, jumping a tiny (2'6" if that ) jump, hitting the back bar and stretching to land, wasn't immediatly lame but was after I went hack afterwards :-(

 

[hollyzippo]

HI, Zippo was 11, he did it crossing s stream on a hack (after months of dry ground), it was deep the other side and he slipped, stood up and couldnt put leg down for aout 10 mins. It was horrible! And had to walk him 2 miles home through fields.
He did front right SDFT about half way down. Vets not 100% sure why shock wave works but got good record on higher injuries definately, not sure about branch I'm afraid but be worth looking into?
Best of look with Zulu, sure all will be fine with a bit of time and TLC

 

[acolvine]

There are lots of things you can do in hand before adding ridden work to your horses rehab. If you have only been walking in hand for 10mins twice a day then increasing to 30mins ridden is a no no.
Firstly an increment of 20mins is too much and you should only change one element at a time. i.e increase the time to maybe 15 minutes walk but don't change anything else.

Rather than up the time you could consider changing terrain, gradients but only very gentle and subtle increments.
With hills try traversing across them keeping the injured leg on the higher gradient. Obviously don't start with anything to steep.
As for terrain then sand, concrete/gravel tracks, water etc.
Then there is long reining, addition of poles and little grids that you can do in hand in straight lines.

Remember when you introduce one of these elements don't increase the time straight away.
As for additional therapies then you should consider massage (not equissage). It will help reduce scar tissue and also help to train it to lie down in a better pattern.
As your horse is on box rest for quiet some time then an equine sports massage will help increase your horses blood flow and remove tension from other muscles that maybe compensating for the injury.
When one of my mares ruptured her suspensory ligament i used magnetic therapy boots and her healing time was a redcution on the time scale that the vet expected.
5 years later and she is on box rest with an SDF injury! Im now using massage as a form of physio (with veterinary authorisation),bioflow boots and in hand walking.
If you want more info on the massage give me a shout.

Hope all turns out well.