sacroiliac problems- end of the road?- vets unhelpful

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jalisco

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OK really long but need some advice.
Horse is 10 and since oct hasnt been ridden due to rearing bolting and extreme sacroiliac and back pain.
Had bone scan in nov which showed that both hocks and si had hot spots.
Xrays of spine ok, hocks- one fused other nearly fused. vet not worried about this.

Si- said that wasnt what they expected a normal horse to be - said MAY be a conformational problem but cant obviously xray it.
Had hock injected, and mesotherapy in back in jan and mesotherpy on back again 2.5 weeks ago.
Ist time meso- small difference, 2nd time huge difference - absolutely no dipping of back when pressing on it- but pain back a week later.
He is just being long reined at the momentin walk for last 2 months- vets say that i just have to keep exercising to build up muscle to help him.
He getting physio weekly and physio is really at wits end with vet..
They say next option is muscle relaxant and bute.

My point is - all this has resulted in £3000 being spent and not many answers.
if they think its a conformational problem why oh why do they keep bringing me back- surely because it comformational none of these will work and is not in the animals best interests? now bute and muscle relaxants??? this is a 10year old that is for high level showjumping- bute is banned?

I just feel its a money issue and they are just tryin to get as much as possible and its my horse thats suffering.

Also I have an issue with them telling me its fine to ride him- even thought they think firstly its conformational and secondly what good is buliding up the muscle going to do for this but make my horsesuffer even more.

Im just really really upset that my beautiful friendly boy is a cash cow for my vets. Ive tried to trust them but now I just feel very very disappointed in the veterinary profession.

I really dont know what to do with him now, ive tried absolutely everything for him but his ack is just so sore- behind saddle and over SI.
I can retire him to parents farm and will never pass him on, but this pain I really dont know if its fair on him to leave him as a field oranament if hes sill in pain. Can he be retired and be ok?

Does anyone have any info or opinions on this situation.
thanks in advance
 
I can only tell you my experience that ended in a Sacro problem daignosis.

My mare was not long broken and started sitting down when mounted. she was at selling livery at the time, one day a vet was on the yard, happened to see her, said it wasn't right so I got phoned, told her to check her over and vet said she was lame (not my vet by the way).

So i quickly packed her off to local Equine Hosp. I made sure I was there when specialist checked her over. He could find no pain over her back, and said she was totally sound in hand and on lunge! (still bit cross about that!) Saw her ridden, where she sat when mounted and watched her ridden and his conclusion that she was a huge moving horse and was possible nearly 1/10th lame, but to be honest it was more a odd way of going....

So she was nerve blocked, and like yours came up with her hocks and SI.

However they DID X ray her sacro (not sure why you have been told this is not possible?????) and it showed slight boney changes. Although nothing that really concerned him.

So they then nerve blocked her Sacro (have they done this to yours?) and it completely changed her way of going and she didn't sit at all. So on this basis she was diagnosed with a sacro problem.

She was then given a steroid injection into the joint. I was told that she would be field sound without, but would never be ok under saddle without regular injections. Although there was no guarantee the injections would work.

I actually gave her to the lady who had been selling her, as I wasn't in position to keep her, and the lady loved the bones of her. Sadly the mare has since become ill, so we never got around to seeing if the injection worked or not.... Hopefully she looks like she's turning the corner, so we're holding our breath.
 
thanks for your reply!!
i know its just so so hard because im not a vet and leave my horses fate in their hands.
They cant say exactly what it is but it is something and they think conformationally hes wrong?? frustrating as they have never offered me SI steroid injections.
im at loss what to do other than demand and i snt want to p**s them off.:cool:
 
First of all sorry to hear about your problems - It is awful isn't it when you are in the dark looking for answers.

Second, it might be worth PM'ing Mrs Mozart on here - I am positive she would not mind. She has had a similar issue with her mare and whilst she is not destined for great things jumping wise, I do know that she is back jumping and working which, a year ago, seemed very unlikely. The problem, IIRC was SI joint problems due to bony changes and ?conformational issues? I know she was seen by Sue Dyson at the AHT who I have personally found very good.

Sorry if this is not much help but it did sound similar to Mrs Ms Dizzy.

Good luck.
 
Jalisco - my horse had big sacro problems. It wasn't diagnosed until I took him to Univ of Cambridge Vet School. Anyway, upshot was that I had to build the muscle up around the sacro. This took 6 months. It was a very slow process - starting literally with 5mins on the lunge and building up slowly over the period. Once the six month period was over, I was then allowed to build up under saddle. It took a long time but we got there in the end.

However, if I hadn't have been referred to such a back expert I don't think we would ever have made it.
 
thanks bruised- its just taking so long and my vets just dont seem very optimistic or helpful. They just told me to crack on riding??! yeah if i want to get killed they way he was going. hes just so bad on the lunge i just feel like im pushing him too hard and feel guilty. He can barely trot in an out line at all and bolts off frequently - its heart breaking to see. thanks for the advice to keep going x
 
The SI's are the power generator for the horse that work together with the gluteus muscles to give propulsion. They work like first gear in a car. When the SI's are misaligned or inflammed, they cannot generate the required movement patterns and therefore your horse will look to other structures to generate power. This tends to be the glut muscles, the longissimus muscles which run along the spine and the lumbar spine.

When the horse has to use these structures on a regular basis, the compensation patterns that he develops will sometimes make him look lame, but will also become very sore and tender to the touch - he's effectively trying to pull away in second gear all the time, which will only work for so long. Riding him whilst he's that sore will only make him use other tight sore muslces, and exercising him through it will only develop compensation patterns further. Perhaps it's time for a second opinion? Mechanical problems such as this can be helped enormously.

Good luck
 
Sounds just like mine. My boy has just had his bone scan and they found hot spots in one hock ahis sacroiliac area. He had steriod injections and shockwave treatment before coming home, he is now on box rest with walking in hand 2 times daily. I have looked at an equine hydro treadmill and he is going to go for 2 blocks of approx 5 days in order to help build up his back muscles without being ridden. My vet was fairly optimistic about the future and thinks there is no reason why he can not return to eventing, my horse was referred by my normal vet to a specialist. I would ask for more information or a referral.
 
Interesting mine had Saroiliac nerve block on Monday and as a result will be going back next week for steriod injections and shock wave therapy. Followed by strict fitness build up and excercises for 12 weeks then back for reassessment. When I asked about a possible bone scan I was told by the hospital that scinitgraphy isnt that accurate in this region due to the muscle mass and deep structures even though they have this facility which I thought was very honest. However my concern is that no xray or scan was carried out to confirm exactly what is the problem and we are just treating on nerve block results without a firm diagnosis whether it is soft tissue or DJD..

I was also told that it is an area where a reaccuring injury is very likely so I am not hopeful that the outcome will be all that positive TBH.
 
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hey, i know a horses that has had a similar problem, she waas medicated with steriod injections along the spine which has helped her....this was done through our normal vets, if you are worried i would ask for a referral ..have you not been offered steriod injections for him?
 
My adorable quiet youngster had a vicious kick to the head last August in the field. Whilst being grateful he just had damage to his nose and not completely fractured his skull we did not find the other undiagnosed sinister injury. The force of the kick travelled down his spine and broke off a piece of the facet joint above the last vertibrae at the base of the neck. His behaviour became eratic, bolting, head shaking, bucking and too unsafe to handle over the months following, but this was put down to stress after the incident, so after he had been examined a few times by my excellent vet my previous trainer then told me to work him hard through his 'tantrums' - hence causing further damage and pain. Once a specialised vet saw him and identified the injury he received facet joint steroid injections to reduce the inflamation and pain and to relieve the nerves within the spinal column. He has a 60% chance of recovery, which is apparently good. I have always believed there to be a medical problem but none could be found and having a young competition horse I was encouraged to trust an experienced trainer . . . It is a shame investigations are so expensive and not guaranteed to be covered by insurance policies otherwise I am sure many more would be done and many more horses saved from waiting painfuly or being stamped 'naughty' and sold on. So many medical complaints cannot be determined by one investigational method and we have to work our way down the line of easier treatments first. We need to have more awareness throughout horse owners relating to neurological problems to able to assist our vets in finding the problem faster. The horse community can be very oppinionated at times impairing our judgement when discussing an unresolved behavioural issue, why is this so?? Would it not be better if we all just worked towards the welfare of our horses and got them in work happily to get the best out of them. One invaluable lesson I have learnt from this awful situation is a friend has taught me a little natural horsemanship, without which I would not have been able to communicate with my horse, but at least now I can play with him on the ground without restricting training aids inflicting pain which he just loves!! I have had another horse with kissing spine who was retired and turned away following 3months of investigations at the AHT Newmarket. For the first 2months I was told he had behavioural problems and that it was poor horsemanship on my behalf. I new that was not the case so talked them round in paying for them to retrain his behaviour for me as I knew it was only a matter of time before his symptons arose with schooling. This I agreed to pay for myself which was not cheap. After 3months I had an abrupt call saying he was dangerous and needed to be pts. He had gone over backwards when the groom was mounting right infront of 3 vets. As he was only 'dangerous' when in pain which was only under saddle I retired him as a companion horse which he loves. He jumps from field to field to chase the mares . . . no pain! I believe he was drugged when I bought him from auction as I could not have a blood sample taken.
If there are any press releases/articles out there which cover this topic and are written so that the general public can understand, please send me the link.
 
In my experience (with my horses) Sacroiliac/back/pelvis probs can be secondary to something else lower down that is going on- in my horses case one has minor hock probs-Mild Spavin. They compensate in their way of going and alter their movement.

As long as you know the hocks are pain free, and that theres no major probs with the sacroiliac- then work is prob the best thing for it to build the muscles up so that it's the muscles that carry them, lots of hill work, walking out hacking, gymnastic work, lungeing long and low and then building up to working over raised poles can be useful, and loads of rein backs every day will tension the sacroiliac area too. Take it slowly, build them up gradually and you will get there!


If your horse is on a joint supp that too may help, and i hope your horse makes a good recovery- if you were still unhappy with your vet then ask for a second opinion or referral.

Good luck.
 
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Mine has this, and it is a recurring problem. However, we cope with it without any treatment and what made the world of difference to my mare last year was swimming. After 3 sessions she was a different horse, so if there's a pool near you it may be worth a go.

My vet discussed the steroid injection with me, but as she is laminitic that was too much of a risk. We also discussed the shockwave treatment, but I decided that there wasn't enough conclusive evidence (for me) that it would benefit the horse.

Because my girl's injury only bothers her after she's had time off work (I don't ride between December and March) and the muscle around the site has gone we work through this every spring by a very long and slow fittening programme which includes swimming, but it enables us to do everything we want to as I don't jump anyway.
 
Can I just ask from a point of interest, why everyone is so keen on injections?

The nerves surrounding the joints relay pain signals back to the brain via the spinal cord when an area (Joint capsule) is inflammed. Inflammation to a joint area can occur due to injury, stress, strain or compensation and also due to mechanincal dysfunction of the two bones creating said joint. Steriod injections can help to reduce this inflammation, but they DO NOT restore normal mechanical movement patterns. If a joint does not move properly, muscles cannot function properly, and you run the risk of an injury re-occuring.

Exercising your horse and building up muscles will help to a certain degree, but you run the risk of developing compensation patterns within the muscles which will eventually lead to a tightening of said muscles and again potential injury.

Does anyone here suffer from back pain? Does it cause you to feel stressed and stop you from being able to do things you would like to such as riding your horse/playing sport/driving etc? Do you go to your doctor and ask for an injection, or would you rather look for alternative ways to solve the problem first?

Horses are amazing healers, and in the right hands do not need to be subjected to injections in the first instance - there are so many back specialists out there that can help, please don't forget to explore this option - with the consent of your vet.
 
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