Can a horse recover from a suspensory ligament injury?

Can a horse recover from a suspensory ligament injury?

Even badly torn ligaments can heal given time and care. “Scar tissue is never as strong as the original ligament tissue, but if rehabilitation is appropriate, the horse will usually be OK,” Dr. Barrett says.

How do you treat suspensory ligament damage in horses?

Your vet may prescribe cold therapy (icing or cold-hosing several times a day) and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug to reduce inflammation. Stall rest to give the ligament time to heal. Your vet may advise standing wraps for the injured leg and the opposing leg. Hand-walking, to encourage healing.

What happens if the suspensory ligaments is damaged?

Damage at the proximal part or top of the suspensory ligament invariably causes lameness — varying from mild to severe — which, if the horse rests, can improve rapidly. The lameness tends to be worst when the horse moves in circles with the affected limb on the outside.

Can you ride a horse with degenerative suspensory ligament?

Riding is not advised for horses with DSLD, due to lameness, instability, and risk of further suspensory breakdown. Degenerative suspensory desmitis occurs in varying degrees and can be managed with shoeing changes, exercise restrictions, and supportive care.

How do you tell if a horse has a ligament injury?

Look out for these signs:

• Lameness.
• Swelling or thickening of the tendon.
• Heat anywhere along the length of the tendons is a sure-fire warning sign.
• You may also find pain as you are running your hands over the tendon.
• In the event of a severe trauma, you may see the fetlock dropped to the ground.

How do you rehab a suspensory ligament injury?

A typical rehabilitation schedule for a severe injury is stall rest with hand-walking five to 10 minutes per day for the first couple of months. Over a period of six to nine months, controlled hand-walking is slowly increased, depending upon the degree of lameness and how the injury looks with ultrasound.

How do you strengthen the suspensory ligament in a horse?

Below are some tips to help maintain your horse’s suspensory ligament health.

1. Promote Muscle Health.
2. Work on Balance.
3. Provide Horse Supplements.
4. Maintain Proper Shoeing.
5. Avoid Overworking Horse.
6. Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.
7. Icing Injury.
8. Rest.

Is DSLD painful for horses?

Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis (DSLD) is a chronic condition in horses that affects connective tissue, including the suspensory ligament and other ligaments and tendons. This painful condition commonly leads to debilitating lameness.

How do you know if your horse is lame in front?

If the horse is lame on a front leg, the horse will dip its nose down. 1 If the horse pops its head upwards slightly, the lameness is in the hindquarters or legs. If a horse is obviously lame on both front or rear legs, there will be no head bob. Their strides will be choppy and short.

What helps tendons and ligaments heal faster?

Continued

• Stretching and flexibility exercises to help the tendon heal completely and avoid long-term pain.
• Strengthening exercises to help you rebuild tendon strength and avoid future injuries.
• Ultrasound heat therapy to improve blood circulation, which may aid the healing process.

How do you wrap a horse leg tendon injury?

Remember that you must wrap from one joint to the next: If the injury is to the superficial flexor tendon of a front leg, then, you must wrap from just below the knee to below the fetlock. A hind leg must be wrapped from just below the hock to the bottom of the fetlock.