Sacroiliac strain and Danilon

[Switchthehorse]

My horse has just had 5 months off with hepatitis, and has now been diagnosed (separately) with a slight sprain of sacroiliac. She is not lame in hand straight but in a circle she gets progressively lame behind in trot, doesnt like downwards transitions at all - lots of half steps and shuffling before collapsing into walk, and holds her pelvis very strangely. Prod her pelvic reason and she pretty much sits down but just on the one side.

Vet suggested 2 danilon a day and light in hand work for 2 weeks and then re-assess, light being in hand walking and then trot on the lunge every couple of days.

She has never been lame before so I am not used to danilon etc - a couple of questions:

1) how quickly should danilon work? She started on saturday but last night i felt she was more lame than she had been last week
2) do they get worse before they get better? i dont know if its just because i know what i am looking at now but she was really uncomfortable in trot on the lunge.

She isnt on box rest due to her hepatitis so is out in the field about 17 hours a day and in for about 7.

Any help gratefully received, cant decide what to do with her - whether to call the vet back out, wait for a couple more days and do nothing with her or what really - he said if no better in 2 weeks its off for scans etc...

Thanks!

 

[YasandCrystal]

I know your horse just has an SI strain, however I am very surprised at your vet's advise to lunge your horse. Horses with SI problems cannot easily work on a circle nor in trot, both of which he is asking you to do This was the one thing Sue Dyson advised me not to do with my horse was any kind of circle work whilst in rehab.

My horse has chronic SI dysfunction so his injury is long standing, but the advice I am sure is the same - to work in straight lines in a pessoa and up hills and over a low pole too.

My boy had physio with a Tens nerve stimulator and then a Tens muscle stimulator.
I would question your vet and ask to het a recommendation for physio - my insurance paid for that and the physio too muscle measurements and was brilliant. If you Google Sacro illiac strain/dysfunction rehabilitation you can read the advice.

I cannot advise how long rehab would take in your horse's case as mine had a long standing injury so there was lots of ligament damage and wasted muscle on one side and wrongly developed on the other etc.

 

[peanut]

Agree with YasandCrystal, my horse has had her back injected for SI pain/dysfunction which when bad is exhibited by an inability to walk downhill, lameness on the lunge in a circle but sound on a straight line, struggling with canter and downward transitions.

My horse is now sound and pretty much back to normal but I'm still very careful with circles and rarely lunge properly - I walk in large circles myself so that I keep her on straight lines where possible. Rehab has been gentle hacking with increasing hill work starting with gentle inclines, long reining progressing to ridden schooling.

 

[Auslander]

I'd second the physio! Alf just had Hwave on the sacroiliac area, and he is so much more comfortable since - his back and hindquarters are soft for the first time since I've owned him, and he's been bouncing around in the field - lovely to see!
He was done under sedation, which allowed the physio to get right in there with the machine and give him some very deep treatment (one session under sedation equivalent to 5 unsedated) and he will have regular unsedated sessions now to keep him mobile. His problem is just tightness, related to his hindleg DJD/PSD - but I hadn't realised how tight and sore he was, until he wasn't!

 

[JanetGeorge]

Ditto other posters! I've been rehabbing a 5 year old from SI strain for a year! The ONLY time my vet suggested Danilon was when her stifles became inflamed. For her SI injury, she had u/s guided steroid injections into the joints, physio, and then walking exercise on straight lines!!

As she improved, she had another set of injections into the SI, more physio, and exercise increased - again on straight lines, and then with hill work! I wouldn't want to be giving Bute/Danilon to a horse with hepatitis!!!

 

[Mimi67]

Sorry to slightly hijack the thread, but regarding the H wave therapy you mention, Auslander, could you let me know if that was vet-based or separate therapy? - and if so where/with who? - PM if you prefer of course. I'm based in Oxfordshire so fairly local to you I think, and am looking into options for my horse's hamstring/lower back injury - muscle strain, and wondering whether to involve the vet and claim or just keep going with physio. Thanks!