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HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Treatment Methods » Rehabilitating Injuries to the Tendons and Ligaments »
  Discussion on Deep Flexor Ligament Pull
Author Message
New Member:
Jlrhoove

Posted on Saturday, Mar 18, 2006 - 4:06 pm:

Hi. My horse has a deep flexor ligament pull to the right rear leg above the knee. The vet. recommended stall rest/confinement,hot compresses, put Furzone on 1st, put mixture of DMSO and Cortizone on top of Furzone....daily.

I was out of the country when this happened so wasn't able to question the vet.. Is the above the best I can do? Would Sports Medicine Boots help? I can't get out there every day - would it make a difference to put these products on daily?

How long does it usually take a horse to recover from a deep flexor ligament pull.

So you know, I tried doing a search on the Internet but got confused because the sites, including Horseadvice.com don't use the same terminology, "deep flexor ligament pull"...so I wasn't sure what information applied to my horse? Is there another name for this malady? Does it have anything to do with suspensory ligaments?

Thanks!!

~ Lynn Hoover
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Mar 19, 2006 - 9:02 am:

I am afraid we are confused too Lynn. There is no structure in the hind leg that is called a "knee" in horseman's terms. Also there is no specific structure that is called the "deep flexor ligament" that I am aware of but there is a deep digital flexor tendon. When a tendon is mechanically injured it is usually referred to as a tendonitis or sometimes alternately tendinitis. I believe both spellings are correct. If you will help us our a little maybe we can direct you to more specific articles. But as the article whose discussion section you posted in shows both tendon and ligament injuries vary tremendously in severity so each injury must be assessed for the nature and extent of the trauma. Treatment and prognosis are derived from this information.
DrO
New Member:
Jlrhoove

Posted on Sunday, Mar 19, 2006 - 10:20 am:

Thank you. No wonder I couldn't find information on the Internet!

What happened is, I went on vacation and one of the horse owners from my barn kept an eye on my Peruvian Paso while I was away. Then she took off for vacation. She left me this note (and I assumed she'd mispelled some words so changed the spelling for this group...but maybe her spelling is correct?):

"Lynn: horse is lame Rt. rear. Has "deep flexior ligament pull."

Rx: - hot compresses above first joine (knee) on sides and rear.

- put Furazone on first.

- put mixture of DMSO and Cortizone on top of Furazone.

- wear gloves!

- stall rest

- Bute 1x day

I don't know if these interventions are neccessary, if they help? Is this the best I can do for my horse.

And, how long does it take for these injuries to get better?

I'm working 70 hours a week these days and want to go the quickest path.

~ Lynn Hoover
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Mar 20, 2006 - 8:57 am:

Lynn your next step must be to contact the vet who saw your horse to get a accurate description of what was injured and how badly it was injured. Only the person who examined the horse can answer these questions and the specific question you have about treatment and prognosis. We will be glad to aid with any points of confusion about the information you receive but accurate diagnosis and treatment requires a physical exam.
DrO
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