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Discussion on Effect of Stall Rest on Recently Blistered Stifles
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New Member:
leocon
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 - 2:08 pm:
I have a 5 yr old thoroughbred who has a mild problem with upward fixation of patella(right side) and generally loose stifles (both right and left). He has always had an issue with "slipping out" behind while under saddle (downward transitions, going downhill, on corners, etc) related to the loose stifles, but we noticed the UFP and some related lameness this past summer.
To address these issues, this summer he had a series of 2 internal blisters to both stifles with good effect. Unfortunately he developed rear suspensory desmitis (ligament inflammation) during rehab and has been on 2 months of stall rest to allow the suspensories to heal. He has had a series of shockwave treatments to help the suspensories heal during this time.
Does anyone have any experience with the effect of stall rest on the blistered stifles?
There is some concern we will be back to square one with this guy on his stifles due to the stall rest. I understand that good muscle development helps the stifles "stay put", and we may have lost that, but just curious what others have experienced...Thanks
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Dec 1, 2008 - 7:26 am:
Welcome LisaOC,
The rest should not effect the main purpose of the blister: to thicken up the medial patellar ligament. However horses loose condition when stalled and some stall rested horses that did not have UFP of the patella before come out of the stall sticking. However they quickly work out of this.
DrO
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New Member:
leocon
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Posted on Monday, Dec 1, 2008 - 12:31 pm:
Thanks for the insight Dr. O. Interestingly he doesn't seem to be sticking yet (e.g. when I pick his feet or when he walks).
We did see improvement from the blistering, but how much improvement we achieved was hard to tell due to the subsequent suspensory lameness. We've talked about doing the surgery where a needle is used to make small incisions in the ligament to promote further thickening.
Once his suspensories heal, is there a danger in waiting for observable signs of UFP before making a decision on the surgery? I guess I am wondering if horses with UFP tend to compensate in ways that can cause issues elsewhere? I don't want to be in a vicious cycle here, but also don't want to do unnecessary surgery....
Thanks again!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 2, 2008 - 7:44 am:
I would think it logical to wait and see if the blistering works before pursuing further treatment and the risk of doing further damage small.
DrO
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