Stifle injury experiences - not locking stifle

alsxx

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2006
Messages
3,227
Location
Moved to Devon!
Visit site
Hoping I can hear some experiences of stifle injuries, particulary symptoms - my experience only extends to locking stifles which this is definitely not. My horse is booked to go in to vets on Monday for a workup (and a third gastroscopy :rolleyes: poor boy), however I suspect he's injured he's stifle and just interested to hear of other experiences really.

He's not conventionally lame, however an issue first appeared when he suddenly became very lazy to school, he's an ex-racer and NOT lazy by nature ;) and suddenly not working through correctly and would not canter on the correct lead on one rein - previously no issue whatsoever. He was however fine out hacking which sort of allayed my fears and I thought perhaps I am being a duufus jockey :confused: I then didn't ride much due to horrendous weather we have been having, but then did notice a very subtle walking on 3 tracks one day when out on a hack, which the next day had disappeared. Following week on a ride he suddenly started walking very severly on three tracks, with the leg I believe affected completely on the 'outside' - the effect was so severe he was managing to twist my torso. He was moving normally in trot however. The next day he looked normal again.

The only other symptoms I have noticed are a severe relucantance to pick up the other hind which suggests to me he doesn't want to take weight on it, he will pick it up but then needs to put it down again, more he can't rather than shan't. He's also developed a roach back in about 3 weeks and looks very uncomfortable generally. I have also very gently had a feel of his quarters and hind legs and can find nothing of interest; the only reaction I get is an incredibly violent one if i run my hand over the stifle, which makes me feel this is the problem.

I'd be interested in hearing whether anyone else has experience of a stifle injury and how they presented. About 2 month's ago now he did slip a couple of times in the field whilst he was cantering, however carried on as if no issue and was fine following, now I'm wondering if he has in fact done some damage.

Thanks in advance :p
 
My TB injured his stifle about 18 months ago. He was lame, though, but none of the other symptoms you describe - still forwards, nutty, and fine to handle. Still don't know what it was, though - nothing on x ray or ultrasound. It's still not 100%, and no longer responds to any levels of bute. He's turned away due to other issues :rolleyes:, so waiting to see if that does any good.
 
My boy (who is now 17 and fit as a fiddle!) Has arthritis in his left stifle. This problem first arose about 5 years ago when we first got him, he suddenly became hopping lame, Vet knew it was up in his stifle so sent him off to Newmarket and got seen by Dr Sue Dyson.. Who is supposedly the best vet in the uk and THE person to goto for lameness.
He had every test you can imagine going for him and not even she could say what it was! Over the years he was given bute on an off and was constantly in and out of work. Then it just became and on and off stiffness and we put it down to arthritis.. Maybe whatever injury he had before triggered this! He now gets corticosteroids injections into his stifle every 5months or so (or whenever he starts to go lame) Also has glucosomine and his been a super star ever since.
Guerro would also refuse to put weight on the other leg when he was sore. And due to his lameness he would always be over-compensating his weight and making his good leg bad! So it felt like a vicious circle. Thank god we are out of that now! A good way i always find for checking stifle injury on him is to turn him in a tight circle and see if he pivets ok on it.
I hope you find out what's wrong with your horse soon, hopefully some of this information was usefull!
 
My mare has on going stifle problems.

It started with her being a bit lazy, ears back and being very one sided. She didn't wan't to lunge in 1 direction and tried to kick out. Got the vet out and pysio, vet injected stifle with steriod injections and the pysio gave me excercises to do, to help build Ruby's hind up a bit. I have taken it very very slowly and she is now back in work (although got kicked in the field and then a bruised sole so off work at the moment :rolleyes:)

I was advised to stay out of the school and stick to road work as she will find that easier (you can tell she does when ridden as shes much more forward now) and only school once a week on the track only.

So far so good.
 
One of my pure ID fillies - aged 2 - injured her stifle in January after the local bloody shoot decided it would be FUN to shoot in a field full of youngsters!!

She was horrendously lame and we struggled to get her on the trailer and bring her home. X-rays at the yard showed nothing but there was heat and effusion over the joint. She was put on Bute and box rest. Through the very cold snap in mid-January it was a nightmare - she laid down on her good leg and sent it numb (she was on EVA mats) and I had to go down every 2 hours through the night and help her up.

After 5 months she was still 4/10ths lame and vet tought the cruciate ligament might be shot. 3 weeks after that we took her down to 3 Counties where she trotted up sound - and x-rays of both stifles (the second for comparison) were 100% clean. Her only problem now is muscle wastage which we're working on as HOPEFULLY she'll go for grading in September!
 
Hoping I can hear some experiences of stifle injuries, particulary symptoms - my experience only extends to locking stifles which this is definitely not. My horse is booked to go in to vets on Monday for a workup (and a third gastroscopy :rolleyes: poor boy), however I suspect he's injured he's stifle and just interested to hear of other experiences really.


Sorry to drag this up again, trawling the internet I found this - exactly the same symptoms my horse has. Have there been any more developments please?


He's not conventionally lame, however an issue first appeared when he suddenly became very lazy to school, he's an ex-racer and NOT lazy by nature ;) and suddenly not working through correctly and would not canter on the correct lead on one rein - previously no issue whatsoever. He was however fine out hacking which sort of allayed my fears and I thought perhaps I am being a duufus jockey :confused: I then didn't ride much due to horrendous weather we have been having, but then did notice a very subtle walking on 3 tracks one day when out on a hack, which the next day had disappeared. Following week on a ride he suddenly started walking very severly on three tracks, with the leg I believe affected completely on the 'outside' - the effect was so severe he was managing to twist my torso. He was moving normally in trot however. The next day he looked normal again.

The only other symptoms I have noticed are a severe relucantance to pick up the other hind which suggests to me he doesn't want to take weight on it, he will pick it up but then needs to put it down again, more he can't rather than shan't. He's also developed a roach back in about 3 weeks and looks very uncomfortable generally. I have also very gently had a feel of his quarters and hind legs and can find nothing of interest; the only reaction I get is an incredibly violent one if i run my hand over the stifle, which makes me feel this is the problem.

I'd be interested in hearing whether anyone else has experience of a stifle injury and how they presented. About 2 month's ago now he did slip a couple of times in the field whilst he was cantering, however carried on as if no issue and was fine following, now I'm wondering if he has in fact done some damage.

Thanks in advance :p

sorry to drag this up again, trawling the internet I found this - exactly the same symptoms my horse has. Have there been any more developments please?
 
sorry to drag this up again, trawling the internet I found this - exactly the same symptoms my horse has. Have there been any more developments please?

Thats ok :-)

I had a lameness workup done which was inconclusive but suggested (I say suggested as he wasn't conventionally lame, but after a block he crabbed sideways less with his quarters, but didn't block at all on the other leg) the hock on the other (right) hind leg which was medicated (which kind of makes sense since he putting more of his weight on the left hind). He was still undergoing treatment still for his ulcers and back and forth to the vets, I had him looked at again 6 weeks later as didn't feel he was really any better and still trying to walk on 3 tracks, they couldn't find anything else wrong and had someone else ride him, he was still difficult for them but being a stronger rider they managed to ride him through it to a greater extent than I could. End result was work him through it, build up his suppleness and strength. A couple of months later a different vet suggested he may have hind gut issues which we started treating, since the stomach ulcers had been very hard to get rid of and he still had symptoms even though he was now scoping clear - once treated he became much much better, and he's gone from strength to strength since. I don't know conclusively that it was his hind gut causing the issues but it would make sense.
 
My mare came with a slipping stifle issue - her leg would give way going down hill a bit like she'd stepped in a hole. This was on her off hind. It may or may not have something to do with her ulcers and hind gut issues but I truly believe they went hand in hand.
 
This is very interesting!! I have a 5yo mare with exactly the described symptoms. Nothing showed up on a lameness exam and it couldn't be localised to any joint - I was sure it was stifle! Vet was flummoxed so she has been turned out for a couple of months. Every time I've tried to bring her back into work she has still shown the same signs. She has a history of bad stomach ulcers due to being a stresser. Now I am tempted to try hind gut treatment. This might be my magical cure!!! I am very close to (very reluctantly) selling her as a broodmare prospect only but maybe now we have hope! Thank you so much alsxx and also tiggerette for digging this back up!
 
Top