Stifle surgery

doonrocket

doonrocket

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Has anyone managed to bring back a horse to work following arthroscopi on the stilfle joints? All was going swimmingly up until the last two weeks when he's gone down hill. He's had steroids put into both joints, but if that doesn't work I've run out of options.

Operation was on the 4th September.
 
So sorry to hear this!

I am afraid I had similar bad luck (bilateral OCD, arthroscopy, 12 months later lame again), but at the time I did hear of success stories and I was given an 80% chance of recovering back to previous level of work (competitive dressage), so the statistics are good!
 
My mare had arthroscopy in November - so we're still box resting and meant to be starting handwalking this weekend but it's a sheet of ice outside the barn and I don't think it wise to start on THAT. However I digress.

I was told by the surgeon that we'd have a 50% chance of recovering to soundness and resuming work. THey found silent OCD, torn cartilage and early osteoarthritis. They also said if she comes sound it'd likely be only for a couple of years maybe. I have decided to retire her to be a happy hacker at age ten (as she also has laminitis).

I am curious (even though I've made my decision to retire the mare) to see what other responses will be to this thread as I'd love to know there are success stories. Good luck with your horse and I hope the steroids work.
 
My boy (tb) had the arthroscopy for OCD in the stifles when he was younger before I had him, hes 7 now, and hes sound, and not on any joint supplements. As long as hes in regular work/ has plenty of turnout then he wont become stiff
 
When My filly had her surgery I was told it would be about 6 months til she would be back to 'full exercise' and as she was only a yearling, she wouldn't actually be doing any work...

I'd suggest turning your horse away for the winter and trying again in the spring... although only keyhole it is quite major surgery and tissue does take a long time to recover.
 
Not yet, but I've got 3 months until I am allowed to start.

Lanky had his op on 14th Sept and had most of the meniscus removed. The nearside stifle was horrendously affected and I was given a very poor prognosis for recovery. Light hack at best, but not probable.

I had a particularly bleak outlook for my boy. He went sound but is really struggling with roling (he is a big horse and crashes down to the side which must be quite painful and damaging). He is much more sound than before the surgery but I'm not happy. I will just have to give it time. That's all you can do as well, as all these cases are different and younger horses apparently respond better to treatment as their bodies are good at regnerating.

They do say that if a horse has the surgery and treatment when very young, ideally before starting work, it is most of the time successful, but when you have a horse that's joint has been degenerating for years (in L's case since he was 2 and he was 8 when the op was done), it's less likely to be 100% successful.
 
I've just noticed that your boy's op was 10 days before my boy's op. It is far too early yet to be bringing him back to work. I was advised by the clinic to give 3 months total rest/light walking in hand and then 3 months turnout. We started the turnout a little earlier because he was damaging himself as he was getting so fed up, but we still have until mid-March til we can even THINK about working him again, and even then it's going to be walk to the end of the lane with rider on and then come home, slowly building it up.
 
My boy was operated on for suspected OCD last November. Once they got in the joints they found nothing other than soft tissue swelling.

He was given IRAP injections into the stifle joints once a week for 3 weeks then was allowed turnout in a small field for a few weeks.

The vets wanted me to start hand walking him after this time but I decided to put him on field rest till spring. I brought him very slowly back into work by hand walking for a month increasing the time from 10 mins to 40 then started very slight ridden work bringing him back to 10 mins walking and building him up and including trotting.

By the end of this summer we were working as normal. Until he fell hurting his back, so he's back on field rest again. Once I start working him again I will start slowly again as I did before.

He was 6 when he had his op and is 7 now. I was told that he would get back to working fully but the time for his rehab had to be put in. I also used my physio monthly who left me with plenty of exercises to incorporate into his rehab which helped so much. Also once working correct schooling helped strengthen him further.

Good luck and hope all goes well.
 
Unfortunatly Jeff is 13. I think all the stats for recovery around these ops comes from younger horses with better prognosis. He was looking pretty sound a couple of weeks ago
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I kinda have to work him as he has had Stem cell therapy on a ddft injury and I don''t want it healing short. This means I have not been able to turn him out. I am lucky to have a small pen about 10x7 m that is part shelter , rather than leaving him in his stable.

On 27/12 weather depending I will turn him out for the first time since july and see where I go from there. Hopefully if it doen't rain too much I'll leave him there for a few weeks and the joints will recover.

This is why I chose Ed the unlucky as a name!
 
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