Tendon Issues

plcgirl

Hi Guys!

my horse damaged her tendon back in July and has been out of action since!! ...(silly as it sounds it was self-inflicted as she decided to escape from her field) we got advice from the vet to hose it down twice a day for 10 mins and to also apply stay sound clay. she said that because the injury was minor it would heal quickly ad she would be back in action around the middle of september. the sweling and lameness went down nearly straight away but the heat still remains and there is a bump forming. we then got scan done and showed that it is healing, but she needed more rest, which i expected as tendon injuries take time, but our vet gave us no further advice on what to do in the mean time.

Does anybody have any suggestions on different methods in which i can try...ice packs, applying heat...etc. I'm so afraid that it wont heal, and because she is only a four year old it would be such a shame.

Thanks:D

convert

Maybe you could get a second opinion from another vet, preferably one who specialises in horses? They may be able to give more advice/recommend further treatment.

Box rest and cold hosing really is the best thing to do for a tendon. Some people get the leg pinfired, while others have another treatment (can't remember what it is, but it's something that encourages the tendon to heal quicker, but the leg becomes very tender and swollen, though it is very good.)

Whatever you do, don't rush it, which you don't seem to be doing. She's only 4, so she has time on her side. And if given time now will lessen the chance of the injury recurring.

mystika121

Hi, the other method for treating tendon injuries is blistering but I have seen some horses react very badly to this treatment. Thankfully the practice seems to be dying out.

Box rest and then a carefully managed return to work generally offers the best results.

Stem cell therapy is now being used to treat tendon injuries but I don't know if it is offered in Ireland.

Did you see Inside Nature's Giants on Channel 4 recently? They dissected a Thoroughbred and gave great info on tendons.

JimDeChamp

Honestly I've probably seen more tendon injuries than any body else here and their is a million different things you can do...! It all depends on how much money you have to spend, can you tell me exactly what damage she done to her tendon and I'll try my best to help...

plcgirl

heya! thanks for all the help guys! yeah the vet i got was a specialised equine vet, thats the most frustrating part!! .....well from what i can gather from the vet she sprained her left fore-tendon, as she over-reaches, and when she escaped from her feild she cut her self with her back leg when galloping away!!...its three months in and the heat is still there, and there is a slight bump shaping out of the tendon (maybe bowed..????), however there is no pain and she isn't lame any more.

well i wouldn't consider surgery or anything extreme at this stage but any advice or guidance would be helpful.

she is a four year old connemara, and i think also a part of the problem is due to her confirmation as her front toes tend to point out to the side, nothing major but just something which i noticed after buying her. i hope that because she is young that it will heal, as i was hoping to use her for xcountry, but i cant help but feel that once the damage is done, it will keep popping up!! ...i should'nt panick should i??

Esroh

Op
A bowed tendon is not a bump it actually looks like some one is pulling on the tendon and the cannon bone/tendon takes the shape of a bow. You would have no doubt about it being bowed. Also the vet would not describe it as Strain but as a tear
There is heat there as its part of the healing process
Using Vaseline or Baby oil you can massage the area where the bump is to help it get its flexability back (just like an athlete would get done).
Also if you have access to a stream/lake it would be far better than hose or icepacks at this stage. If you have to ride to somewhere at a walk to get there it will do no harm when she is not lame

As she is a Connemara and she is 4 take your time and she will come back fine.



Here is an example of what can be done with time when damage is extreme.

My horse is rising 12yld TB. He has 2 bowed Tendons that can be seen from 30m away. He broke down on his near fore as a 4yld. Had 12months off. Came back and his off fore went. He had another 12months off and was just on the verge of his first point to point when he showed signs of lameness again. He would have been regarded as a hopeless case and was heading for the factory so I took him on.
He now does 1mtr SJumping,Dressage,HTrials. Has hunted a few times. There is always heat in his legs and I just have to recognise when its time to back off.

Good Luck with her and I am pretty sure you will be back here telling us about your X-country exploits

JimDeChamp

If their was no heat in it I'd say give her a good belt of blister... The heat is my biggest concern... Did you stand her in for long...?

plcgirl

Thanks Esroh, applying vaseline sounds like a good idea thanks!...ino its a stupid question but IF it is bowed, is bowed tendons a permanent thing i.e. will it always look like that (not that it matters at all, its just for my own personal learning), or is that just part of healing process, and is a bump shaped figure normal in the leg at this stage?...im still learning as i go along, hence the questions!:D...thanks for your story though, really puts a positive light on things!!:D

JimDeChamp not quite sure what you mean by stand her in for long? if you mean box rest, yes she has been in since the end of July with a walk in hand every evening on the road, just so she dosnt go crazy in there!:)

JimDeChamp

Sorry I call box rest, standing in...! Is their a strong pulse in her tendon...?

Esroh

PlcGirl

The pics attached(sorry dont know how to embed it) shows typical bowed tendons which would be permanent. By the way I have seen plenty of legs come good where the swelling looked bad to begin with. Time is a great thing. What did your vet say re the longterm. It sounds to me like you may need to have a good hat with them.(I come from a veterinary family and vets dont bite)
As Jim says there are options.

Natural tendon tissue is very elastic and amazingly stretchable(the documentry mentioned above is a must watch to see how a horses legs work there is a link on a thread here ) . When its damaged the healing means that it thickens but becomes less stretchable.

plcgirl

will check for pulse tomorrow...just away from home untill then!

thanks for the images thankfully it looks nothing like a bowed tendon which reassures me as it just seems like a bump. i will upload a pic of it tomorro and see what ye think!!

Well im from Mayo and its kinda hard to find vets with specific equine expertise (that i know of) apart from the one specialised vet that i am using and she isnt really giving me much to go on unfortunatly!! she just said that you will always be able to tell she had tendon damage but to be honest im not really bothered about the physical appearence as long as it heals right. she also just said no out and box rest untill next scan in november. She didnt say much really abut what normal or not normal at this stage....:(

Bennyjammin

You could try applying an ice pack peroidically for 10 minute intervals. it creates rush of blood to the injured area when it is removed, and this helps to accelerate the recovery process

rollingrock1

I know this post is quite old now but can't help but wonder how it all turned out? my gelding managed to damage his tendon/ligament on his front right... we have just begun box for the next 6-8weeks and will review again after that time. In the mean while i have ordered a pair of the Veredus Magnetik Evo boots for support. Has anyone else used these boots or similiar and were you happy with the results?
Many thanks

plcgirl

rollingrock1 wrote: »

I know this post is quite old now but can't help but wonder how it all turned out? my gelding managed to damage his tendon/ligament on his front right... we have just begun box for the next 6-8weeks and will review again after that time. In the mean while i have ordered a pair of the Veredus Magnetik Evo boots for support. Has anyone else used these boots or similiar and were you happy with the results?
Many thanks

Hi...only saw this now! all turned out well in the end but it took a long time to find someone with good knowledge and advice! the mare was in box rest for a total of 5 months with regular ice pack usage however we found that each time we let her out in a small paddock (as we felt she was no longer lame) she became lame again once there was constant movement of the leg. We then got advice from a friend to leave her out full time in the paddock and therefore the tendon would heal naturally with the fibers flexible to movement. This worked and we noticed an improvement almost immediately.

Although box rest is the best option in some cases, in cases like mine it can cause the muscle fibers in the leg to heal but with limited flexibility which in turn leads to re-injury once they are exposed to movement. Its been almost a year and a half now and thank god no further injuries.

I cant answer your question about the boots as i have never used them before. I hope your gelding is recovering well, keep us posted.