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Need info on Tendon injuries

2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Spotted 
#1 ·
How do I know if an old (5 years) tendon injury is still bothering a horse. Back leg was suppose to have been injured by a slip and fall 5 years ago.
It was suppose to be tendon injury. Is their anything I can look for, poke or prod ect to see if it is hurting anywhere anymore...So far I can't find anything. Are there any signs ??
 
#4 · (Edited)
My mare bowed her a tendon in her front right leg about a year and a half ago. I treated it as well as I knew how. Cold hosed it twice a day, compression wrapped it for the first two weeks, DMSO from the vet, turn out for six weeks... I bought her back into being ridden slowly after that.

I didn't see any sign of weakness until that first winter after the injury. Our area has a lot of sand. A good workout on a sandy trail, combined with the cold, caused some tenderness. She flinched when I palpated the tendon. (Lightly squeeze the tendon between your thumb and finger and stroke downward.) There wasn't any heat, but some soreness. She wasn't lame, even when trotting circles. It didn't seem to bother her much.

One time, a cold front came in over night. I breezed her that morning (it was about 30 degrees). She must have tweaked the tendon a touch, because she was slightly lame when circled clockwise and jerked her leg away when I messed with the tendon. I cold hosed it, gave her a couple days of light work, and it never got that bad ever again.

Tendon issues have a tendancy to give lifetime troubles. My mare isn't badly effected, but some horses go lame on and off because of soft tissue injuries. The tissue just doesn't heal as strong as it once was.
 
#5 ·
As Brighteyes mentioned, tendons can unfortunately be a lifelong annoyance after they`ve happened. All it takes sometimes is just a little twist or too much extension of the leg to get the tendon smarting even though it has not been giving the horse any trouble for a long time. You typically look for movement that shows (depending on what his injury was) that he is not fully extending his leg or flexing his leg; you also look for general tenderness in the area or a sensation of heat or visible swelling. I take it your fellow is acting lame? If that's the case, there may not be much showing up on feel if it is related to the old injury and it is a minor tweak (but painful nonetheless). Have you iced the affected area for about 10-15 minutes? That can sometimes show improvement in the movement and certainly help reduce the pain.
 
#6 ·
No I can't find anything wrong, so I'm trying to learn more about it. Its a new horse that was suppose to be injured 5 years ago.. I want to learn as much as possible, so if it does bother the horse or any other horse, then I know what to do and what to look for. It was a back leg.
Thanks all for the info so far.
 
#8 ·
No I can't find anything wrong, so I'm trying to learn more about it. Its a new horse that was suppose to be injured 5 years ago.. I want to learn as much as possible, so if it does bother the horse or any other horse, then I know what to do and what to look for.
As far as treatment of tendon sprains/injuries, here is our normal routine..

- Separate the horse from the herd into a paddock (or stall if necessary) to minimize movement. If you don't, even a very lame horse will hobble around a pasture all day to graze and be with its buddies. Separating also lets the horse move as/when it wants eliminating awkward movements due to fussing with other horses. Place the horse where it can still see its buddies, if possible, as it will keep the horse from moving around as much. For typical sprains, we do this for 3-5 days.
- Ice/cold hosing, the more the better to reduce the swelling. We typically ice 3-4 times a day for 2 days. You can't do too much and it won't hurt anything.
- Rest. Just because the swelling/heat is gone doesn't mean it is healed. We give at least another week with no work after returning a horse to the pasture.
- Gradual increase work as long as there is no lameness.

There is no quick fix, only rest and time, and re-injuries are common when rushed back into work too soon.
 
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#7 ·
I'd probably pay the vet to at least ultrasound the "injured" tendon. Even if the horse isn't/wasn't lame, I would want to know exactly what i could be dealing with. Tendon injuries can go in so many different directions so an ultrasound is the only way to truly know what is going on in there.
 
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