Sacroiliac pain

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Caballito

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Long story: 3 months ago my horse was sore in his back and over sacroiliac joint on a routine physio visit. I duly called the vet, further tests were carried out and he was found to have a bone chip in his hock joint. This has been removed and he's 3 weeks back into ridden work and all is going very well but ... he's showing mild discomfort when palpated over one side of his sacroiliac joint. He's sound and in all other respects seems fine. Initially SI was sore bilaterally but now it's just unilateral (opposite side to operated hock).

My vet has checked him out, declared him sound, not worried about SI and told me to crack on with rehab, but I'm worried. Has anyone else experienced soreness over SI without any other symptoms? To be fair, if I hadn't been poking about, I wouldn't even have picked up on it, but now I've detected it I can't help thinking there could be some damage there.

Thoughts?
 
Not sure that I'm any help as my horse was the other way round, no discomfort on palpation of the back or sacroiliac at all but lame and nerve blocked sound to the sacroiliac joint. Our rehab following the SI joint being medicated has been walking work starting at 20 minutes daily increasing by 5 minutes a week. Not sure what rehab work you have been recommended following the bone chip removal but I would guess it's probably similar so I would start with the rehab work and keep a close eye on how he feels.
 
Thanks L&S. How is your horses's rehab going? Our rehab is similar and we're still in walk only at he moment so taking it very steady. I hope your horse comes right.
 
We've built up to 45 minutes a day at walk now, he is well and truly bored of it and itching to go faster on the stubble that we have been riding on! I need to speak to the vet this week about the next steps. Fingers crossed he seems sound so far, I really hope he is as they've pretty much said that if medicating the joint and rehab don't work there isn't much else they can do other than daily bute. He loves being worked too so it would be such a shame if I had to retire him.
 
My very old (34) arab mare has stiffness in her SI joint, we keep her comfortable on Danilon because at that age I thinks she is getting stiff generally. She lives out in all but the most extreme weather and keeps moving.
 
Thank you both for your replies. I'm really glad to hear the rehab is going well L&S. I know what you mean about your horse getting bored. Mine is too and he feels like an unexploded bomb at times - that first canter is going to be fun when it comes around!

Would love to hear from anyone else who may have a similar sacroiliac issue with their horse :)
 
Hi,
My boy had been lame on right hind for a year, had 3 different vets look at him they couldn't find a thing.
Then got another vet and he palpated over his si joint & my boy nearly sat down in pain :-(
He gave him a steroid injection into the joint this was in May & is having cartrophen injections every 6 weeks, also having physio every 6 weeks & waiting for new saddle as hasnt been ridden in over a year due to other problems. Then again lots of walking in straight lines & fingers crossed he will stay sound.
 
I think we are about to be going down this road with my daughter's gelding. He was not himself in his work so vet came to check him, he'd had his hocks done in 2012 so they did it again. They said that the hock issue was causing secondary pain in the back. My farrier is convinced its his sacroiliac joint though and sure enough though the hock injections helped it wasn't a massive improvement. At the suggestion of the vet the chiro came, examined him and treated him saying that he was definitely sore through his back. She recommended in-hand walking, lunging exercises etc for 2-3 weeks then have his saddle re-checked. There's not much improvement, particularly the right hand, so vet is coming out again to re-examine.

Did anyone have to box rest their horse for a long time as part of treatment? I really don't want the poor fellow to have to go through too much of that, he would be so stiff, and unhappy.
 
skint1 said:
I think we are about to be going down this road with my daughter's gelding. He was not himself in his work so vet came to check him, he'd had his hocks done in 2012 so they did it again. They said that the hock issue was causing secondary pain in the back. My farrier is convinced its his sacroiliac joint though and sure enough though the hock injections helped it wasn't a massive improvement. At the suggestion of the vet the chiro came, examined him and treated him saying that he was definitely sore through his back. She recommended in-hand walking, lunging exercises etc for 2-3 weeks then have his saddle re-checked. There's not much improvement, particularly the right hand, so vet is coming out again to re-examine.

Did anyone have to box rest their horse for a long time as part of treatment? I really don't want the poor fellow to have to go through too much of that, he would be so stiff, and unhappy.
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I was told 2 or 3 days box rest after the SI injection and then he could be turned out in a small paddock the size of two stables for the next 8 weeks and exercised in walk. I actually haven't done this as (from previous experience x 2) he goes wild in a small paddock bucking and charging around but is very quiet in the field with the others (only 3 of them in total and he just eats when turned out) so I made the decision that I would just turn him out as normal.
 
Thanks for answering my question! Yes, I think our boy would do better out in his field, even if we had to section him off in a smaller bit for a while.
 
I think I might be getting another vet to have a look even if only to put my mind at rest. The only other 'little' thing I've thought of that could be related is that he doesn't particularly like being shod behind, doesn't do anything bad, just leans on the farrier a lot and makes him curse!

I suppose I should be very grateful for the fact that he's sound, especially after his surgery, and stop over-analysing things, but I think once you've had something relatively 'serious' go wrong, you're even more sensitive to other niggles.
 
Yeah he really has trouble with it, also when I was riding him in canter it would feel like he was bucking but people watching would say his not.
Me & my boy have gone through alot which sounds like you have as well & I have learned not to doubt myself as I know my boy. Good luck . Xx
 
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