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Discussion on Post arthroscopy rehab
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Member:
Caymie
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 25, 2005 - 10:14 pm:
Hi Dr. O.,
My horse just had surgery at the end of March to remove a fragment from his hind fetlock. The surgeon said that there was minimal cartilage and soft tissue damage and that his prognosis for soundness is excellent. Two questions-is it standard protocol to inject the joint following this type of surgery? Do you have a rehabilitation program you would recommend for slowly bringing him back? He has basically been out of work since November while we tried to get this diagnosed. Do you have to be as careful with this type of rehab as you would with a soft tissue injury/rehab?
Thanks,
Mary
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 26, 2005 - 1:29 pm:
No it does not usually require the same amount of care Mary however healing from the surgical wounds is important and time for other structures which must now bear more stress to strengthen usually require some time. But how much depends on the nature of the fragment and type of surgery. I would follow the advice of my surgeon here and if the joint were entered hyaluronate would be typical and perhaps even a very short acting corticosteroid.
DrO
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Member:
Caymie
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 26, 2005 - 2:32 pm:
Hi Dr. O.,
I will talk with the surgeon about an appropriate rehab plan. In your experience, when a horse has been out of work for six months, how long does it take to bring them back slowly? I am trying to decide between a two month back to work schedule, or a three month.
Thanks,
Mary
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 6:20 am:
The rule of thumb is for each week lost they need of week of conditioning so at 6 months you will be starting at scratch, for particulars on conditioning programs based on a horses intended use see, Training Horses » Training Your Horse's Body » Exercise Physiology and Conditioning.
DrO
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Member:
Caymie
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Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 8:35 am:
Dr. O.,
Thanks for the advice. I will read the article on exercise physiology and conditioning. I don't want to push him as he has been out of work for quite awhile and then has the recovery from surgery on top of that.
Mary
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