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HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Upper Rear Limb » Stifle Lameness » Stifle Lock: Upward Fixation of the Patella »
  Discussion on Injured patella ligament
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New Member:
Lexi

Posted on Monday, Jun 7, 2004 - 5:45 pm:

My 3yo cobxwarmblood gelding fell over whilst circling on left rein, his HQ went under him and over to his left. After a week of paddock rest he was still lame in off hind, dragging toe slightly and stumbling when coming from trot to walk. The vet showed me how to feel for the three patella ligaments in the stifle region - the inner 2 felt hard/taut but the one nearest the front of the stifle felt baggy/soft. The vet says this damage (pulled/torn ligament) is causing the stifle to partially lock. Reading on your site I thought that the medial patella ligament caused this whereas the damaged one is the outside/front ligament - or would damage to this cause similar locking? My horse is now on box rest (in loosebox sized paddock as he kicks box walls!)and bute for anti inflammatory powers. It has been 3 weeks and he is still the same - obvious stiffness on turns and 'going over'on the leg when doing downward transitions/stopping. How long do ligaments take to show signs of healing as the vet said I should see an improvement by now? I had started backing him 3 weeks prior to the accident and there was no problem in lunging or ridden work prior to the fall, he was fairly fit from groundwork and is not underweight/undermuscled.
Is the locking stifle likely to remain a weakness or tendency even if the original ligament injury heals?
I have read that exercise can help the condition when congenital/conformational -is this the same if resulting from injury? If so will box rest worsen matters? I do not want to damage the ligament further - would you recommend scanning first?
Are horses with this condition sound enough to ride? I was advised that it isn't painful, just odd sensation and he does sometimes kick out/buck with that leg as if it feels strange!
Any advise much appreciated as he's a very special homebred at the start of his working life!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 8, 2004 - 7:26 am:

Traumatic injuries to the stifle usually require rest with hand walking to heal well and often require months not weeks. How long depends on how serious the injury is Jo. A mild strain might heal in weeks while complete disruption of the lateral ligament might result in permanant lameness. Perhaps radiorgraphs and ultrasound can better define the problem making prognosis more accurate but because of the complicated nature on the internal structures of the stifle (the menisci and cruciate ligaments) it usually requires arthroscopy for a complete exam of the stifle. For more on this and diagrams on these structures see, Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Upper Rear Limb » Disease of the Stifle » Overview of Stifle Lameness.
DrO
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