|
|
Discussion on Severe Meniscus Damage
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
denise
|
Posted on Friday, Dec 19, 2008 - 7:35 am:
My 5 year old QH was diagnosed with severe meniscus damage in his left stifle. The vet basically said that his meniscus was "blown out". Ultra sound shows no defining lines of the outer edges of the meniscus and lots of scar tissue. The options that were given to me were:
#1 surgery-though they do not feel that the results would be very beneficial. They would just be going as much for diagnostic purposes and to clean up the edges of the meniscus.
#2 Shockwave therapy followed by IRAP therapy then 6-8 months of stall rest. His prognosis for being able to return to being a performance horse are "fair".
They also stated that he will have arthritis in the joint for the rest of his life and will need a joint supplement (they recommended Synovi G3).
At this point he is not rideable, but can get around in the pasture fine.
During the lameness test he showed very little lameness at the jog. When I got on him, the lameness was very apparent. He may never be rideable again.
So, my question is this...
Has anyone had experience with Shockwave therapy or IRAP therapy?
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Saturday, Dec 20, 2008 - 10:22 am:
Hello Denise,
In general, horses with severe injuries to a stifle meniscus remain lame for the rest of their lives. The evaluation for a prognosis that is better than guarded-to-poor for return to performance relies on the evaluation of "severe meniscus damage" being wrong and that things aren't as bad as they look. Usually the best chance at accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment is endoscopic surgery.
If you have been told all the above and that you have a fair prognosis with conservative though innovative therapy and this is enough for you to consider pursuing treatment I would recommend you get a second opinion from a equine orthopedic specialist before spending thousands of dollars and years on therapy.
DrO
|
|
|
