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  Discussion on Rehab after tendon laceration surgery
Author Message
New Member:
georgia3

Posted on Monday, Jun 24, 2013 - 5:20 am:

My 13 year old mare was injured in an accident 2 months ago. She sustained a 30% tear of the digital flexor tendon on her hind leg. There was some infection in the sesamoid bone. She had surgery to repair the tear and antibiotics for the infection. She had six weeks stall rest and has been in a small paddock since with hand walking each day. My question is - should I be concerned that her leg is swollen and she is lame at a trot. Her vet has not seen her since she was released but I have sent photos of the swelling and he isn't overly concerned. I am cold hosing and bandaging however swelling remains constant. I guess I would like to hear that swelling and slight lameness two months after surgery is normal. The vet initially gave us fair to good prognosis but ism losing confidence
Member:
dres

Posted on Monday, Jun 24, 2013 - 10:17 am:

here is a two part discussion with video and pictures of my rehab of my mare that severed her hind DDFT ... .
took over 2 + years for me to rehab her, and very slow going in the 3rd year .... i am happy to report she is showing 2nd level dressage now .. totally worth all the pain and suffering on my part ..

https://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/4/99611.html

https://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/4/256847.html

On the first day God created horses , on the second day he painted them with spots..
New Member:
georgia3

Posted on Monday, Jun 24, 2013 - 4:33 pm:

Thnx Ann. I read through both of those articles. That is such an amazing story. I'm so pleased everything turned out well. It makes me a little concerned also because our rehab program is nowhere as cautious as yours. She only had stall rest for about six weeks before going into a small paddock. When I first turned her out she went absolutely nuts so I'm hoping she didn't do any further damage. Also our vet isn't feel the need for any follow up ultrasounds and you had loads of them. What your story does tell me though is that swelling and slight lameness at 2 1/2 months out is probably par for the course. In any case I am floating her back to the equine hospital today to get some reassurance that all is tracking well. I will let you know how we go, hopefully it is good news
Member:
dres

Posted on Monday, Jun 24, 2013 - 6:06 pm:

every injury is different , every horse heals differently too .. In this case if you so feel the need you can error on the side of caution and take it slower ... like i said my 3 rd year i was riding BUT DID NOT ASK for a lot of work out of her . Did not start getting in show shape till the 4th year and believe me i worried if she would hold up ..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them spots ..
New Member:
georgia3

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 25, 2013 - 3:17 am:

Thnx Ann. I couldn't get in to the vet until tomorrow so I just did some cold hosing and put on a pressure bandage. She was walking well today, I massaged where the swelling is and she absolutely loved it! The swelling mustn't be painful to touch. It just looks bad. I'm just wanting to know from the vet that things are on track and that I'm doing the right things.
Member:
dres

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 25, 2013 - 10:42 am:

please post the ultrasound findings ... . how old is your horse .. ?

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
New Member:
georgia3

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 - 3:09 am:

Hi Ann, the news is all good. (She is 13)The vet said her swelling is normal and he is really pleased with her progress. He is impressed that she is not lame at a walk and only lame at a trot as most horses with her injury would still be slightly lame at a walk at this stage of the recovery. He said i can start riding her rather than just hand walking and that the exercise will be good for her. He has suggested to my farrier to use a special shoeing technique that will support her tendon. He is saying she should make a full recovery, which would be a complete bonus as I would be happy even if she ended up only being able to do flat work. So it's more of the same, bandaging, cold hosing and exercise and that's fine by me!
New Member:
georgia3

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 - 3:10 am:

Ps he didn't do an ultrasound as he didn't think it was necessary
Member:
dres

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 - 10:22 am:

remember slow and steady will win the race..

if me , i might insist on a ultrasound to make ME feel better ..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 - 6:44 pm:

Welcome Georgia,
I have little to add to Ann's already wonderful help and the encouraging re-exam by your vet but I would like to address the question: "should I be concerned...?" I too believe that swelling and lameness at this time is within the normal limits for a tendon laceration of 2 months duration. However, that is not the same as saying that your horse is OK. Ask yourself: is the lameness and swelling resolving, staying the same, or worsening? If there has been steady, even if slow, improvement in the lameness that is very encouraging. The swelling not improving might have indicated a ultrasound to me to see if the healing tissues are normal. A pocket of fluid in the healing connective tissue might benefit from early drainage.
DrO
Member:
georgia3

Posted on Thursday, Jun 27, 2013 - 5:12 pm:

I have seen improvement in the lameness and swelling but I will insist on an ultrasound if that doesn't continue over the next few weeks. He has also suggested extended bar shoes which the farrier has said he will do, however he warns they can come off easily. Do you recommend this shoeing technique with a tendon injury?
Member:
dres

Posted on Friday, Jun 28, 2013 - 1:05 am:

Danni still wears a large bar shoe on her injured leg , the added support can't hurt ..
And if you are still rehabbing , i am guessing she won't be buck snorting around to pull it ?

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jun 30, 2013 - 8:29 pm:

Not routinely Georgia but if the heels are underrun then a shoe with heel support far enough back to mimic that proper conformation might be applied. I prefer an egg bar is you can achieve this goal. This point is roughly under the junction of the distal and middle third of the pastern. For a image to help visualize this point see HorseAdvice.com » References » Equine Illustrations » Muscoskeletal Anatomy and Conformation » Foot: Anterior - Posterior balance.
DrPO
Member:
georgia3

Posted on Saturday, Jul 6, 2013 - 3:33 am:

Another question. Kit has always enjoyed her time in the paddock each day, however since this injury she tends to just stand at the gate of her paddock all day as if she's waiting to come back into her stable. She doesn't look stressed, she's not pacing. She's just standing there all day. She's happy to come for her daily walk and is not lame but once I return her to her paddock she's back at the gate. It's almost like she is a bit institutionalised from having two months of stall rest, has anyone had this happen to them?
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