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  Discussion on Bi lateral check ligament injury
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New Member:
edsmom

Posted on Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - 1:20 am:

My 24 YO. TB gelding has had the back luck of acquiring a RF check ligament strain in May. He managed to make it much worse in July by tearing around, and at that time my vet suggested 3 rounds of shock wave as it appeared to be healing poorly. Seven months later, I come home from vacation to see a suspicious swelling on the LF. Sure enough, the vet just confirmed (by ultrasound) a substantial fiber disruption but not a tear of the left fore check ligament. There's some heat, some swelling, but not as bad as the RF when my horse exacerbated his initial injury. The previously injured RF check is showing much better fiber alignment but it isn't quite 100% yet.

Rehab is 30-40 mins at a walk for 3 months likely building up to an hour. My question is how common is this injury in older horses? I think he injured it spooking, during the snowfall we had and snow crashing down from the roof to the paddocks. My horse was in very light work.

My other question relates to what is the best surface for rehab? My vet states that one cause of check ligament injury is hard surfaces, not necessarily deep footing. All the trails around my barn are hardpack and compacted gravel.

Comments anyone?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Feb 23, 2019 - 3:13 pm:

Welcome Pat,
I assume we are discussing the inferior check? I guess one could argue that on a hard surface there may be more extension of the fetlock during the weight bearing phase...but that ignores the effects of the ground on the positioning of the foot during weight bearing. A soft ground may allow for increased extension of the distal interdigital joint increasing the stress on the ligament. Unless the hard surface leads to slipping or the horse exercised hard on this (or any) surface I don't think this predisposes to ICL injury. ICL is a common injury in horses that work on soft surfaces. We do know these ligaments tend to weaken with age, more in some individuals than others.
DrO
Member:
lsweeney

Posted on Saturday, Feb 23, 2019 - 3:25 pm:

What kind of shape is the horse in? I had a senior horse that I believe had cushings. One of the symptoms, I believe, is muscle weakness. She would stumble and fall, like she had no strength in her legs at all. I found this article: https://thehorse.com/118571/tendon-and-ligament-injuries-in-older-horses/
New Member:
edsmom

Posted on Sunday, Feb 24, 2019 - 12:01 pm:

Hi Dr. O and Laurie, thanks for the link. I already subscribe to Horse.com but hadn't found that article before. It was excellent.

My vet and I discussed Cushings' symptoms regarding this horse, but the ACTH test done last year was negative. This horse tends to trip on his RF- sometimes in a lazy walk doesn't fully extend his fetlock and catches the toe. How he did the first RF ICL was tripping and he fell on his knee and flailed around for a bit. He is a klutz! There is no sign of muscle weakness apart from the occasional trip. The farrier keeps his toes short and squared off. He's in good health otherwise, with a decent topline for an older TB. He is on joint supplements for arthritis - just hoping to keep him comfortable and moving, and in light work. It does indeed look like age related soft tissue deterioration ...getting old sucks!

Thanks for the comment regarding footing Dr O. That was helpful.
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