Suspensory Ligament Strain

[neigh]

Hi,

My horse has a suspected mild strain to the suspensory ligament. He has a slight swelling and heat but has not been lame. Getting scanned on Friday. Has anybody had experience of this? Good or bad? Any advice appreciated. Thankies

 

[Tufty]

You will have to wait for the results of the scan to know how bad it is. My pony had shredded his suspensory and he was 12 - 18 months off work. My friends horse damaged his and he was 6 months off work. They usually recommend box rest for 4 weeks and then in hand walking for a while. You can get laser treatment and also there are injections available to help repair the tissue (expensive) It all depends on the damage. If the vet is saying strained it does not sound that bad, but wait and see what the scan shows up. Good luck

 

[kizzywiz]

This is really spooky as I was going to post almost the same question. My pony has a slight fluidy swelling on the inside & outside of her leg just above the fetlock, it is slightly warm. My gut feeling is that it is a windgall, but I am concerned that it is a suspensory strain. Sorry to post a question on someone elses post, but not sure whether to get vet or not, she isn't lame, but then neither is the horse mentioned above. Thoughts please.

 

[georgiegirl2]

Ok this is going back about 8 years now so treatment may well have changed since.......

Star was put on box rest for about 6 weeks. After about 4 she was out walking in hand. After the six weeks she was allowed in a small turnout paddock where she couldnt run around. She also had the injections (i cant remember what they were) which were terribly expensive but were all covered by the insurance.

She was about 19 when it happened and after about 6 months off in total she was brought back into work slowly and by the end of the year was out hunting weekly, doing prince phillip cup and showjumping. We sold her then as she was only 13.1 and by then was hopelessly outgrown. she continued hunting for a good few years and the last i heard she was now hacking out normally. she would be pretty old now and sadly we lost touch with the people who had her so doubt she will be alive now but it goes to show how well they can recover!

Caught early and treated properly horses can return to proper work again. Best of luck!

 

[custard]

Mine gave his off near hind suspensory a good yank on 3rd April and suffered a core lesion.

He was on about 4 weeks box rest followed by walking in hand building up gradually. He had 3 sessions of shock wave therapy at £100 a pop but he has come back very quickly. Once he was walking in hand I took him swimming regularly and think this helped too, it kept him sane anyway!

He has just done his first dressage comp since March so am really very pleased

 

[little_pink_piggies]

Hi,
had a pony who jumped v big tracks (1m20) as a 4yo.. weve had him for 3 years and hes never been right, hes 8 now
in april found out he had chronic damage, nearly coming off the bone on both fronts... any how was rescanned today after 3 shockwave therapys and 3 months box rest and hes been given the all clear to start trot work again... they can work wonders these days! hope hes ok xx

 

[star]

big difference in treatment for core lesions and desmitis of the insertion, body or branches. core lesions carry a better prognosis bizarrely, suspensory desmitis isn't so good, although my horse recovered after shockwave. small core lesions will normally come right just with rest.

 

[jomiln]

If you can get your horse to a hydrptherapy spa that really can help especially in the early stages when swelling/heat still present.

 

[neigh]

Thanks everyone....scan today so fingers crossed.
How can i find out where my nearest hydrotherapy spa is?

 

[Nels]

This thread is very spooky - I just logged on to start a one about this injury!

Basically yesterday my horse was diagnosed with Origin Suspensory Dermatitis - a sprain at the origin of the suspensory ligament on his near fore. The horse had been lame for a week and had not come sound after box rest so the vet performed nerve blocks and ultrasound to locate the problem. Damage is only mild in my horse - slightly stretched fibres on the ultrasound pics - but the difference to the posts on this thread is that he is significantly lame from this injury....

I had my first shockwave treatment yesterday and vet has prescribed three more sessions once a week, box rest with in hand walking for the four weeks, and then reassess. He also gave my horse an injection to aid healing of the mesanchymal tissue.

So I am keeping my fingers crossed this all works! I have not experienced this injury before and apparantly the vet thinks he did this playing about in the field - he is an overexcitable youngster!

Good luck with your horses and maybe we could keep posted on their progress?

x

 

[jomiln]

Hi

If you PM me and let me know where you are I can hopefully let you know your nearest hydrotherapy centre

 

[neigh]

Thanks everyone.......i've just got back from having it scanned and it IS NOT anything to do with the suspensory ligament. He has apparentley damaged the tendon sheath. He probably knocked it in the field. The vet reccomended to carry on riding him but only light exercise and then get it scanned again in six weeks and re-asess things again then. Hopefully things will be ok.
Thanks for all your replies...and good luck to anyone else in a similar situation.

 

[star]

[ QUOTE ]
This thread is very spooky - I just logged on to start a one about this injury!

Basically yesterday my horse was diagnosed with Origin Suspensory Dermatitis - a sprain at the origin of the suspensory ligament on his near fore. The horse had been lame for a week and had not come sound after box rest so the vet performed nerve blocks and ultrasound to locate the problem. Damage is only mild in my horse - slightly stretched fibres on the ultrasound pics - but the difference to the posts on this thread is that he is significantly lame from this injury....

I had my first shockwave treatment yesterday and vet has prescribed three more sessions once a week, box rest with in hand walking for the four weeks, and then reassess. He also gave my horse an injection to aid healing of the mesanchymal tissue.

So I am keeping my fingers crossed this all works! I have not experienced this injury before and apparantly the vet thinks he did this playing about in the field - he is an overexcitable youngster!

Good luck with your horses and maybe we could keep posted on their progress?

x

[/ QUOTE ]

that's proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD) which is quite different to strains of the body of the suspensory ligament. my horse had it in his right hind and came right with shockwave, but i know plenty who haven't. try searching the forum for PSD for more info.

 

[wildbean]

I have an intermediate eventer/1.20m Sjer, who was diagnosed with suspensory branch desmitis on the near hind. He was lame behind, and ultrasound showed the damage. He was boxed for 6 weeks, then in a small paddock for a further 6 weeks. 9 Mths later he was still lame..so he had surgery... vets split his suspensory with a scalpel and that regenerated it to heal. We then did 6-8 sessions of shockwave therapy (I swear this helped a zillion times over!).

He didnt start walking under saddle until about 14 months post injury.

Fast forward to today (nearly 3 years since the injury) he is finally fit, in full work, jumping, galloping, and about to have his first eventing start again in 3 yrs.

I know that my horse is a rarity..that he's sound after such an injury..but I did anything and everything I could for him, (admittidly it was expensive...bills running well into the thousands), but the thing that worked best was time. I gave him twice as much time off as the vets said. I wanted my horse back sound, and all the research I did online said the longer you leave them the better the chance they have. He was only 8yrs when he got injured, so now at age 11 he is in his prime and hopefully he will stay sound.

Good luck, and have hope that these injuries can and do heal. Give them time, and shock wave therapy, and don't ever be tempted to do more exercise than what your vet advises.