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  Discussion on Accupuncture for muscle atrophy due to nerve injury
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 8, 2000 - 11:44 pm:

Hi Dr. O:
Thanks for the great article on shoulder nerve injury. My horse is slightly better and Monday he is getting an accupuncture treatment to help stimulate the muscle that is being lost due to the nerve damage. Do you have any suggestions or thoughts that might help enhance the procedure? The farrier and I were able to take off all of his shoes and give him a trim. My horse and I were shoulder to shoulder with me applying strong pressure to hold his shoulder in place so he could allow the other foot to be lifted. He was a champion! Thanks for your help, Barbara

Posted on Thursday, Nov 9, 2000 - 7:18 am:

Be careful with the pressure: remember this is what caused the problem in the first place. Have your vet show you where the nerve runs over the neck of the scapula so you can avoid pressure ther. I really cannot speak for the accupuncture treatment, looking at some of the long time studies in the article, it would appear whether or not you use it the outcome will be favorable.

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 13, 2001 - 3:26 pm:

For anyone out there feeling alone and about to throw in the towel dealing with radial nerve damage: Don't give up! No one gave the 2 year old filly, Nel, a prayer after her accident, but we refused to let her be put down and brought her home. As long as she wanted to keep going, we just hung in there with her. It was hard to see her struggle to move,to watch her hoof contract, and to see the muscle loss in her shoulder. But 8 months later, she started to improve. She improved so much that she forgot she couldn't do everything she was inclined to do, and she reinjured herself. It must have been muscular and not radial nerve, because after being back in confined quarters for 3 weeks she was back to her previous recovery stage. Now, 12 months later, she has made a remarkable comeback. Her muscle has grown back, her hoof is almost normal looking, and she is trotting, running, bucking and playing - although I detect a certain attitude of caution on the slippery snow. If we had listened to all the nay-sayers, including our vet, we wouldn't have Nellie now. It WAS hard to take care of her, and go through the emotional ups and downs, but she has a great personality and just wouldn't give up. I thought we'd be extremely lucky if she were able to become a broodmare, but now, I'm more convinced than ever that we'll be riding her someday. Horseman's Advisor was the only place that had one ounce of information on the topic, I just regret not joining sooner. I could have used the support a lot earlier!
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