Ronnie bone scan update - sacroiliac and corticosteroids?

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BeckyD

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The vet has just rung, Ronnie had his bone scan and it's showed a very clear trauma to sacroiliac area. They are going to medicate it tomorrow (corticosteroid injection) and I'll take him home on Friday. He'll stay on box rest for 4 weeks, then have another injection, then more box rest and so on. But she said prognosis is generally good for these sorts of injuries when they're treated fairly quickly like this.

Has anyone else had experience of this?
 
Yes! As well as all his fetlock problems he also had a sacrolliac problem - which is why he first went to the vets in any event.

He did have about 16month off (due to the fetlock) but has been back in work since May and no reoccurence of the sacrolliac problem, having had the back lady out twice to check.

I think I was meant to be pessoa him as well but this is in contradiction as to what can be done with the fetlock, so I haven't been doing this.

She did say the prognosis was pretty good for these problems as well so fingers crossed for you.
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Hope you had a good birthday!

As you know, one of mine has a sacroiliac injury. It depends on what is affected and the degree.

With mine it is his ligament. He does not look one sided from behind, but he clearly is not as strong on that side - most noticeable in canter (he struggles with a true bend on that rein). He can jump up to about 3ft but I have decided not to jump him anymore following an aggravation of the injury in the summer (which is what alerted us to the injury - it had previously not been detected as was very minor and had been treated correctly). Anything higher and he cannot bascule over the jump.

The original treatment is lots of lunging to build up topline (3 months - pessoa advised but I use an equiami on mine once or twice a week) and working him correctly to keep topline, although he will never work behind correctly and he will never build up a perfect topline.

My boy is now 9, but he sustained the injury a long time ago.

He does find shoeing behind uncomfortable, and at time very painful. In winter I take his back shoes off, and wont put them on again unless he really needs them/we do lots of roadwork (something I try to avoid with him). When it comes to shoeing this year I will give him half a bute the day before to numb the pain a bit.

You need a good chiro and physio to help you, and basically you just need to work him within his limits. He will tell you what they are. As an example, when my boy was ok, he was being schooled everyday for 40 mins, lunged once or twice a week for 20 mins, flatwork lesson, hacked once or twice a week (lots of hillwork - approx 40 mins). He was perfectly fine until he managed to slip in the field and go down on the bad side. He was then off work for 3 months, then had 6 weeks of lunging, then walking for 5 mins building up to 20 mins + 5 mins trot, then builing up to canter etc. I wont jump him again though, as have noticed that since he slipped and aggravated the injury he is noticeably stiff on that side.
 
Thank you - had a lovely birthday, especially seeing Ronnie twice!

I don't yet know what exactly is affected. I have a long list fo questions for when I collect him on Friday! If you can think of anything specific I need to ask, please do let me know.

Ronnie is a nightmare to lunge (outside arena is unlevel and he falls over a lot out there, inside we're not allowed to lunge although he's good as gold when he is rarely lunged in there).

I may have to ask for special dispensation to lunge inside. I'm happy to put in the work necessary to get him as fit as can be - I remember you saying that it was the time off that made your boy so bad. Unfortunately Ronnie is terribly accident prone so I don't think he's going to be easy to keep fit and worked.

I was wondering about taking Ronnie's hind shoes off too, he's never been great to shoe behind and we do hardly any roadwork. He has good strong feet so I'm going to speak to the farrier about it.

Sounds like long hard work to bring him back, fingers crossed he won't undo it all himself.

I have a good physio lady. Which reminds me that I must text her and let her know what's going on.
 
Hey!!!
REALLY pleased to hear that it's not a fracture and that the prognosis is good. You must be so relieved!
I've not got any personal experience of SI issues, but I do have EXTENSIVE experience of rehab through lunging so I will be here (probably still lunging, LOL!
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) to empathise with you once you start cracking on with that
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Belated happy birthday as well btw
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Hey! I am so relieved, much much better outcome that they and I thought
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I may well be picking your brains about lunging rehab - not something I've done much of, I must admit! Sounds like you're a dab hand at it
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Thanks! Didn't really get in birthday spirit due to worrying about Ronnie, I must admit, but at least I can relax now that we know what's wrong and have a plan of action
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GOOD LUCK for your scan, will be keeping fingers crossed. xxx
 
My boy used to be awful to lunge (he has broken one of my fingers, as well as one of my sister's). It was worse on the bad side as he found it painful and he would just tank off in the other direction. You might find long lining much easier - I usually try to long line rather than lunge, unless using the equiami.

I have lunged him so much over the 2 years that I have owned him, that I can long rein him with one rein.

I would ask for special dispensation to use the indoor. You are going to have to lunge him intensively for at least 3 months, and you will need to do lots of trotting poles etc to really get him to use himself. It will hurt, so he will react but you need to put in this work before you can get back on.

My boy with KS was worse with the time off. The anglo (SI injury) must be worked every other day without fail, even if it is only 20 mins of suppling work in the school. I also do a lot of stretches with both of them, as the anglo has poll tension through the unlevelness in his hips. Although from behind he doesnt look hugely unlevel.

I think when you mentioned that he was not good to shoe behind that I thought he might have a sacroiliac problem - and also his behaviour jumping. It is all very typical.

I find regular chiro treatment is also good, especially to relieve poll tension.
 
I will ask the YO then, as we won't get anywhere lunging outside. Too much for Ronnie to look at so he forgets to sort his legs out. Three months of lunging will be pretty tough
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Working regularly isn't a problem - I was riding 6 days a week until his injuries.

It does make me wonder if this is an old problem that has perhaps been massively exacerbated by the falls in the field which made him lame. He has always been shifty when being shod behind - especially if he needs the toilet. He's normally fine once he's been allowed to go to the toilet but for some reason he holds that in.

The jumping did magically improve once we started jumping bigger this summer - he treats anything over 3 foot as worth bothering with and I was getting some super jumps over the biggest fences, anything less than that he can't be bothered to lift all his legs up and he jumps very flat
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One of the horses on the P2P yard I worked at was injected with corticosteroids in his sacroiliac following an injury from a fall racing. He wasn't given a lot of time off, he had a couple of days box rest followed by a week on the walker and then lots of lunging in a chambon and roadwork, and was back cantering in a month. He was "rehabbed" with a race already entered in mind, the vet said he would have preferred to take it slower and chiro was not best pleased about the way it was managed (but a lot of things were questionable about that particular yard!).
But anyway, his improvement in his way of going was pretty impressive, he was a poor performer and was very inconsistent before that particular fall, but was a different horse on return to work.

Would you have more control long-reining? Although long-reining can encourage over-bending so if he's not great at it, may do more harm than good.
Also would it help to fence off a corner of the school to help keep his concentration?

ETA - I've just read your post properly
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and realised who you are - me being a bit dense! It's Robyn - with Tocah.
I'm really glad Ronnie's ok, I couldn't believe it when Jenny said he was gonna be there for so long. You must be so relieved to know what it is now & that it's not worse!
Tocah says please can you hurry up and bring him home because she's got a bit of a thing for Ronnie and now she just keeps staring at his empty stable!
 
Oh hello! <waves> ! Ronnie will be home on Friday, all being well. Just waiting to find out what time I can collect him. I'm sure he's missed eveyone especially Tocah, though I'm not sure he's figured out what she is yet - horse or something else entirely!
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Long reining could be an option, I've dabbled in that with him and he was very good. For some reason lunging outside just sends him utterly loopy (he reared up and clonked me on the head once). I think it could be a long haul ahead getting him back into work, but at least it's not as bad as I had been warned. Phew. Bless him he's had such a terrible 7 months!

See you soon - Friday if not before...

Hope Tocah is well and foot all better?
 
Aww bless him, hope he's been behaving!

Lol I'm not sure I've worked out what Tocah is yet either! Yes she's all better thankyou. Was sore for longer than I thought she would be but I think she's a bit of a wuss, bless her. She was very definately playing on it at times!

I bet you can't wait to get him home, poor Ronnie, more box rest
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Will no doubt see you soon
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