Supraspinous ligament damage & shockwave therapy - experiences?

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happybear

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It has been a tough few months for my boy and I and this week we have received the news that his supraspinous ligament is damaged behind his withers, which has been causing him pain when ridden. The vet has said there's a possibility it's an old injury which has healed badly and been reignited a few months ago. They have prescribed a short course of shockwave therapy over the next month or so to try and get the ligament to repair before slowly bringing him back into work, but that there is a chance it won't help and the injury will never heal.

Although I'm relieved to finally have a diagnosis, I'm gutted as I've only had him for 8 months and he's only 6. It hasn't all been smooth sailing since I bought him but we'd been working hard and getting on well. I have my fingers crossed for the therapy to help and so I'd love to hear from anyone who has had any similar experiences as I can't find too much about it on the internet. Thanks.
 
My last horse had some damage to the ligament, or a strain. We didn't go down the route of treatments like shockwave, just anti-inflammatories and changing his work. He had regular physio (every couple of weeks) for about 6 weeks IIRC, along with a v structured, strict programme of lungeing and long reining, including poles and certain exercises and stretches prescribed by physio, and vet assessment too. He had no ridden work during that time, had to be led out in hand for "hacks" (I took him on my bike as he was an angel, so we could go further!) along with the lungeing prog. Stretches were lots of belly lifts, front leg stretches holding for increasing amount of time, plus some others and baited stretches (in particular between front legs/ to chest).

Don't know what caused my horse's issue, it wasn't an injury, I think it was probably just a culmination of various things and me not doing enough of the right work with him. Physio saw a massive improvement in him by the 8 week mark, and he did really well on that programme. But as I say, it wasn't an outright trauma/ injury. Do you have a good equine physio (not osteo or chiro) who can work with you alongside the vet, so you get the most from his vet treatment?
 
I have a Horse who was diagnosed with this last September - his is further back than yours and sounds worse as the ligaments were coming away from the bone in places but he had 2 months of walking in hand and shockwave therapy fortnightly before being turned out to grass for 6 months or so. He will be coming in around May/June and will be scanned to see how it is progressing. My physio said that ligaments take a long time to heal and that he needs time if there is to be any chance of recovery. Also, as the ligaments heal they needs to be gently 'challenged' to promote recovery - walking in hand was high up on the list of ways to do that, progressing to lunging and eventually riding.
Good luck - fingers crossed.
 
Thanks chestnut cob. Did your physio help you create your programme to bring him back into work? I don't have a physio currently, I've only used a McTimoney practitioner with him before, but that sounds like a really good idea so I'll see if anyone local to me can recommend one. I think we will be doing lots of in hand hacks too!! Glad the nights are getting lighter so I'll be able to take him out in the evenings.
 
Hi Lulup, thanks for your reply and sorry to hear about the injury your horse has. We will definitely be doing in hand walks when it's time to bring him back into work. I have my fingers crossed for yours too.
 
one of mine had this just behind the withers too. he had an injection at the time, a little physio and was back in full work 6wks later and never a problem again :)

sorry its about 10yrs so can't remember what the injection was but I seem to think it was just anti inflamatories
 
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