Suspensory and Sacroiliac - time and rehab

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YummyHorses

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Current thinking for my show jumper is damage to hind suspensory and/or sacroiliac joint. He is not sound on left hind on right rein, becoming disunited, holding himself and not tracking up. Vet is out tomorrow to nerve block and then next week ultrasound to assess level of damage.

Am gutted as I suspect this could take some time. I spent most of 2012 injured with broken leg and ankle so kinda hoped we would be back out and competing very soon. Heh ho that's horses.

Anyway I wanted to hear about others experiences. How long did it take to recover? What treatment? What did you do during that time - box rest/out at grass/any ridden work? And longer term impact?

Any advice or guidance offered would be great.

Thanks.
 
May or may/not be useful to you but.

My gelding came up lame, November 2011. Short on his left hind, snatching it up in trot and dropping his hip. Long story short, no real change to lameness with flexion test, went for initial investigation December 2011, x rays and nerve blocks to entire leg. Only improvement was 50% when they nerve blocked his SI. Was treated with a course of steroids and returned home on 4 weeks paddock rest.

Improved a little but vet not happy so referred to Rossdales. Bone scan, rectal ultrasound and further xrays/nerve blocks didn't really show anything conclusive except small hot spots of left hock (insignificant), both sides to SI and changes to middle patella joint of left stifle. Vet didn't seem to feel any of these were the reason for making him lame (horse was rising 12). Treated with different steroids and given two courses of tildren. Since the tildren he has been better than ever but it was a long recovery! Had physio appointments, vet checks, weeks of walking in hand. Was on box rest for 4 weeks I think but with the SI, exercise is the key. Allowed field turnout approx may. Finally given the all clear to get back on board June 2012.

Currently have built up and we're back jumping teeny jumps, doing lateral work, galloping and having fun. I'm not sure how hard he can be pushed but I won't find out unless I try. Vet has recommended another treatment of tildren if the lameness re-occurs, fingers crossed it won't!

Hope you find out what's wrong.
 
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Thanks for that. Sounded to be a tough old time for you. Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery.

Guess I will know more tomorrow after the vet has been out. Horrible when they are not well, hate it.

Thanks for the information, appreciate it.
 
No problem. It definitely was! He's always been a hardy type, never really injured himself but did 6k in the past year (only 5 of it covered by insurance lol). Good new is that now I do know what's likely to make him comfortable again if he goes lame.
 
Hi both,

Ive been using Arc Equine on my boy for nearly a year, purely just for maintenance purposes now.

There is a long running thread on the competition forum about it and i posted an 'essay' based on my experience.

It gave me hope after my horse injured his superficial flexor, then diagnosed with other potential issues, and i finally managed to resolve a long standing coxic issue (i suspect there may have been an underlying SI issue to).

It works by triggering the body to repair damaged tissue (this can be boney or soft tissue doesn't matter) and it eliminates pain.
Def sounds like it would be worth looking into. Let me know if you want more info and i can PM you.

Best of luck
 
My mare, a 10 year old warmblood, started to bunny hop in canter on the lunge one day so I gave her a week off and she was then ok, until a week later, she started dragging her left hind toe. My farrier looked at her and said that she might have nail bind so removed her back shoes. No difference after a few days so had vet out who said to box rest her for two weeks. No difference, if not worse. Had scans, x-rays, nerve blocks and nothing was 100% obvious. Only thing showing up were her scans showed the suspensory ligament was 'messy' like cotton wool instead to being smooth. When nerve blocked at the hock, she improved but still wasn't 100%. The vets recommended to try shockwave therapy - although they said it wouldnt work and then to operate on both hind legs to cut the nerve in her hind legs so she couldn't feel the suspensory ligament. I think its a neurectomy. She then had 3 months of box rest, then walking in hand, then slowly built her back up over a year. Got her back competing at a lower level, she was doing well. Then she went lame again, but seemed to be in more pain than before, vet was called straight out and turns out that the nerve has grown back together causing excrutiating pain :eek:

I wish i'd never put her through the operation and although the vet ensured me that the nerves rarely grow back it seems that its happened to alot of horses, so not rare at all!

She now lives off bute as a companion and seems ok as long as she isnt ridden, or in deep mud etc.

Vet always thought she had sacroiliac pain as well but possibly from compensating for the pain.

Front legs have a better diagnosis than the hind legs.

Wish you all the best with your horse.
xx
 
Mine was diagnosed (took ages, he wasn't lame enough, so was told to go and make him lame enough for nerve blocking!) with PSD in august 2011. He had three shockwave treatments and spent 6 months on box rest/small paddock turnout in the day. By the end of the 6 months he was trotting for half an hour on hacks which had been built up slowly in that time. He wore magnetic boots every day for as long as possible, and had a magnetic stable rug to help with an SI problems that might have developed, as they tend to go hand in hand.

I also sprayed a herbal remedy with rustox, ruta grav and arnica in it on his gums, which is meant to help with blood flow and healing (who knows, it wasn't expensive so worth a punt!). I had him treated by a chiro and osteo every 3 months. Last weekend we went out competing (only 80cm) for the first time. Rehab has been slowed due to weather, and the fact that he had tenosynovitis in his other hind in august, so a further 6 weeks of box rest! :rolleyes:

I have now taken his back shoes off as I think that slight inbalances in his pasterns, and very good even shoeing might have contributed to his PSD. Watching his feet wear down unevenly now I think I may be right, so I will have to think carefully when re shoeing again :o I'm so scared I'll break him again though! I really want to reaffiliate this year before something else crops up.....
 
Im not very good at typing from my phone but i posted previously about my horses psd/si treatment (i don't post much so should be easy to find!) in short my boy wasn't lame but just " not right" reluctant ti jump, go down hills etc. he was eventually diagnosed via scans. he had shock wave treatment and cartophen injections along with physio for his si soreness (which appears to have been directly linked to the psd issue) as he's a box walker my vet agreed that a tiny turn out paddock was better in his case than box rest. After a couple of months i did lots of long reining walk hacks and very gradually built up work over several months and Im happy to say that he's now moving better than he has for years. we've just started doing little jumping on good surfaces. i won't event him again as he's 16 now and I've make the choice nots to take any
 
My mare has the same problems. Both hind suspensories have been damaged, and she has issues through the sacriliac as well. TBH talking to my vet the prognosis is not good, I am bringing her back in slowly, yet again, but it is fingers crossed time. We have had issues from around 2008 in both areas, having had a muscle tear in the hindquarters in 2003, from an accident in the field as a youngster.
This will be the third time I bring her back in, and she has had the best part of 2 years off, with a couple of short preps trying to build her up.
I may try Arc Equine, and see what happens.
 
I would say make sure you get a definite diagnosis by your vet first before you do anything as they are 2 different problems which may need managing completely differently

this article written by Sue Dyson is quite useful:

http://horsesforlife.com/content/view/109/771/

she diagnosed my mare a few years ago. she showed all the clinical history/symptoms of this article and now needs injection once or twice a year. She is kept in regular work (dressage) but needs to be carefully managed (speak to your vet)
she lives out and i found that long term rest doesnt help at all, but very hard work doesn't either,

good luck
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

Vet out today. Conclusion or current thinking is a sacroiliac issue. Just not using himself behind which was clear on the lunge and ridden. Very stuffy, short strides and walking a bit like a crab. Sore on left side.

Did various tests for suspensory and at this time nothing to show here. Could be once we sort out the SI thing a suspensory problem appears.

She has placed him on metacam for 5 days, asked for walk under saddle, long and low and time in the field. Lunge after the 5 day period and see what he like. If okay, up the work load and see what happens. Physio in 2 weeks again. Pole work and curb chains attached to get him to lift behind.

Hope all will be okay. Gunna take it real slow and keep everything crossed!!
 
Raised pole work will be really good to work up to aswell, something I did with mine at the start and end of every hack (that I failed to mention!) I struggled with mine having uneven stride length behind which I *think* I have sorted now, the osteo was very helpful for that, although don't ask me what he did! Norman was certainly a lot squarer behind after a treatment :)
 
Sorry to hear about your boy, it's not a fun time. However once you've worked out what it is everything becomes much easier because you can have a clear plan of action and arm yourself with all the knowledge that you need. Mine's just been diagnosed with bilateral hind PSD, initially not a great prognosis but he has good ultrasounds, x-rays and he trotted up sound for the vet just two weeks into his shockwave therapy. They're much more optimistic about his prognosis now, so whilst I'm really happy, there's still a long way to go with the potential for lots of setbacks!

I've no experience of SI issues so can't add anything on that one, but I would 100% agree with people who say that you need to look at the whole horse, not just the problem area. So many issues come from them compensating a low-level pain somewhere else.

Good luck :)
 
My youngester has just been diagnosed damaged suspensories in both hind.
He has had steroid injections and 2 weeks anti inflam.
Hes got 3 weeks off and im slowly working him now.

If steroids unsuccessful then vet wants to de-nerve but i have already oppted against this..

Next option is shock wave and turn away for 6 month
 
Maybe I am being stupid, naive or hopeful (!) but I think with my boy is more sore from being a complete dick in the field. He was seen rearing in the muddy and very deep, boggy entrance to the field managing to get his front legs over the gate and then galloping around the field, slipping all over the place. My parents rushed to get him in. Since then he has had a problem.

Also during the month of December he wasnt worked so much because of the weather (frozen school) and he lost muscle from his back end. He tends to lose condition really quickly and also suffers with wobblers so I suspect this hasnt helped.

A weakness became even weaker and then he was a prat and hurt himself. Thats what I am hoping for and with the right rehab and time we will get better. Fingers xed.

On a positive note, my mares ovaries were scanned today and she was all clear so she will be going back onto the regumate ready to bring her back into work and start competing again. Well at least thats the plan!!
 
Hi, just came across this post and was wondering what the outcome was/where you are now, OP? I had the vet out today to begin to investigate something v similar, off for nerve blocks next week so wondering what others' experiences have been - vet seemed to be veering more towards hind suspensory than SI today but won't know any more until next week. thanks!
 
I can recommend prp for ligaments they heal very well but nueroctomy and fascioctomy might be necessary too. My 6 yr old is now sound.
 
Hiya, Can't tell how old this post is but my 9 yr old warm blood mare damaged her sacroiliac as a 4 yr old, it wasn't until she was 8 that chronic hind leg suspensory was diagnosed following nerve blocks, scans etc.. she had both hind leg nerves cut last summer and has come back into work as a new horse- the previous 5 years have been terrible but she is trying her hardest to make up for it now! I won't be jumping her I don't imagine- as she got injured so early in her training she never became established and I feel that the risk is too high now so she is starting a career as a dressage diva!
 
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