SDFT Tendons - Scans & Return to Work

[Christmas Crumpet]

Just curious to know what results people had been given when injured SDFT tendons have been scanned and what level of work their horses have been able to return to after the tendon injury had healed.

Mine was scanned again last night and his SDFT has healed with a loss of 30% elasticity and flexiblity and that it had thickened slightly.

The prognosis for him was that he would be able to hunt again but not in deep ground nor jumping 5ft hedges at a gallop!!

 

[MarthaRodman1]

My horse had a severe SDFT injury to his hind leg. He had a lesion (hole) in the tendon on the point of his hock, as well as managing to shred the tendon just below the hock, so generally a real mess! I can email his scans to you if you like, then you can compare to yours if it helps?!

Jack was initially referred to Rossdales at Newmarket, where after being scanned they didn't give me a v good prognosis. Basically they couldn't even promise that he would ever come sound enough again for me to hack. Anyway, to cut a long story short, he went on box rest for 3 months, during which time I then started to work at the Royal Vet College. After talking to a few people, i got him referred here under Prof Roger Smith - who is the European Orthopedic Specialst in Tendons and Ligaments (something like that anyway). He pioneered 'stem cell treatment'. Have a search on the web if you want to read more, or the RVC website. Anyway, Jack had surgery/Stem Cell Treatment last Sept and has been in full work since 1st Feb this year - and we started jumping in May, and have since done dressage, XC's, SJ, sponsored rides etc. He is 100% sound. He does find it harder to use his injured leg, ie taking the weight on it when schooling and doing lateral work - but he is 100% sound and just takes a while to work in now as he can be quite stiff (he's 12). I've been advised by Roger to keep him 'within his comfort zone' when it comes to jumping (just for the next 6-8 months or so) which is around the 2.9ft height, then I can push him up a gear.

Hang in there - the key to coming back into full work is not to rush it, we did lots and lots of walking on the road, up and down hills, trot work on roads. As for jumping, I don't jump on hard or boggy ground - and if I enter a XC and the ground is hard/boggy I just forefeit my money - better to have a sound horse and loose money than have an unsound horse!!!

PM me if I can answer/help anymore! Good luck...........

Martha x

 

[kerilli]

i've had huge variations. one mare damaged her sdft as a novice, she bruised it xc in spite of wearing really good boots. after lots of scans, adequan, months and months of walking, she eventually returned to full work and went to advanced, and stood up to that work completely.
i've had a couple of horses that have suffered sdft damage as a result of pulls/tears, and in spite of the same regime, endless patience and time and re-scans, they have not come back to full work. i then had them operated on (tendon splitting) and went through the whole rehab thing again, and it was the same story... sound enough for hacking, but not for fast work, work in deep ground, jumping etc.
the way it was explained to me is that if the fibres are stretched, they will never regain their natural crimp and their full elasticity. if they are bruised or cut, they're much more likely to stand up to full work again, given enough rehab and time.
sorry... it's a very depressing subject!