Anyone with a horse that has received Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Injections?

[mbmarsh]

For those of you that had your horse injected, were you able to get your horse to work collected afterwards? We have a similar issue, with a horse that doesn’t seem to be able to work through his topline or bring his back up - did the injection help with this?

Hitch in his getalong is the best description I’ve heard - it’s like his hind end is just parked our a bit behind him and he can’t get it tucked underneath.

What was the diagnosis that prompted an SI injection? Anything specific, or just like injecting hocks because of suspected inflammation?

[joiedevie99]

[QUOTE=mbmarsh;4806795]
For those of you that had your horse injected, were you able to get your horse to work collected afterwards? We have a similar issue, with a horse that doesn’t seem to be able to work through his topline or bring his back up - did the injection help with this?

Hitch in his getalong is the best description I’ve heard - it’s like his hind end is just parked our a bit behind him and he can’t get it tucked underneath.

What was the diagnosis that prompted an SI injection? Anything specific, or just like injecting hocks because of suspected inflammation?[/QUOTE]

This could be a lot of things, but SI is definitely one of them. Kissing spines, arthritis in the neck, stifle or hock issues are also good bets. Get good diagnostics done so you don’t end up shooting in the dark.

[Lieslot]

Bumping this thread back up. How are your SI injected horses doing at present? Remaining sound and in work?

My one horse had a bonescan earlier this week, after nearly 3 months of NQR under saddle, going to not right at all in the hindend but no lameness to be detected.
The only thing of significance that lit up on the scan was his SI. The vets said area in the SI and amount of re-uptake was indicative of SI joint inflammation.
He had the ultrasound guided SI injections and we’ll be doing mesotherapy next week as well as follow-up with acupuncture.

I’m getting him some more Back on Track stuff. Any other things you have done or can suggest that might help him recover?

I’m so hoping I’ll be able to get him comfortable under saddle again. But after googling & reading some articles, most seem to read like all doom & gloom :(.

It was so weird with him, he was still able to lunge okay, but under saddle he gave me the impression my weight was just really too much and when asked to trot, he refused to take a contact, head high, hollow back and ears back. I kept on thinking it was his back or his stifles, especially since he used to slip the stifle at the trot but X-rays/US of those were non-revealing. Now we know why, it was the SI that was causing him pain.

[davistina67]

Most horses that need SI injections will never return to full work again. Trail sound… yes. But jumping or dressage, no. That is if the diagnoses was correct in the first place. It sounds like yours was a classic SI. Some vets like to see the rider on the horse to detect the SI. Others do it with palpation and by picking yup the hind legs and pulling them out to the side. A horse with SI problems will tilt their hip in a very characteristic way to get away from the pain.

Hope your horse gets back on the trail.

[lstevenson]

@davistina67;5217827

Most horses that need SI injections will never return to full work again. Trail sound… yes. But jumping or dressage, no. That is if the diagnoses was correct in the first place.

This is ABSOLUTELY not true. Many will be just fine to go back to dressage and jumping, provided the rider does the appropriate rehab/strengthening program after injection. I’ve known upper level horses who have had SI issues, and have continued to compete for many years after injections. A really good vet is imperative, and many regular vets don’t have much experience with SI issues. Anyone who suspects their horse has them should find a sport horse lameness specialist for the best outcome.

[davistina67]

[QUOTE=lstevenson;5218222]
This is ABSOLUTELY not true. Many will be just fine to go back to dressage and jumping, provided the rider does the appropriate rehab/strengthening program after injection. I’ve known upper level horses who have had SI issues, and have continued to compete for many years after injections. A really good vet is imperative, and many regular vets don’t have much experience with SI issues. Anyone who suspects their horse has them should find a sport horse lameness specialist for the best outcome.[/QUOTE]

This is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE… I have a lot of experience with vets that treat this. If it is a true SI the outcome isn’t good. Maybe the horses you know only had SI inflamation. There is a huge difference. Also a lot of SI problems go on for years before they are detected by a good vet or vet-chiropractor. Since so many are missed by owners, it decreases the chance for a good outcome.

[lstevenson]

@davistina67;5218361

I have a lot of experience with vets that treat this.

Lol, I do also. And I’m talking about upper level event horses, and the best lameness vets in the country. I even had a student with a horse with a previously fractured SI, with all sorts of problems in that area. To the point that it was very hard to inject, as there was so much scar tissue. And the vets kept that horse going at preliminary level eventing for quite a while with injections and judicious work. He eventually retired from an entirely different issue.

Horses can absolutely come back from SI issues of many types, to go on and perform. Again it depends on how it is handled, and most people don’t correctly do the strengthening program that will keep that area strong.

[davistina67]

[QUOTE=lstevenson;5218378]
Lol, I do also. And I’m talking about upper level event horses, and the best lameness vets in the country. I even had a student with a horse with a previously fractured SI, with all sorts of problems in that area. To the point that it was very hard to inject, as there was so much scar tissue. And the vets kept that horse going at preliminary level eventing for quite a while with injections and judicious work. He eventually retired from an entirely different issue.

Horses can absolutely come back from SI issues of many types, to go on and perform. Again it depends on how it is handled, and most people don’t correctly do the strengthening program that will help keep that area strong.[/QUOTE]

And the SI’s were all confirmed with bone scans?

[lstevenson]

@davistina67;5218388

And the SI’s were all confirmed with bone scans?

They were all diagnosed with some combination of bone scans, xrays, ultrasounds, palpation, and a clinical lameness exam. The horse with the fracture in his SI never did bone scan, just xrays and ultrasound. My own current horse’s bone scan lit up extremely in his SI, and two years later he is still doing great after injection 4 ways and a gradual strengthening program. In fact I personally know of about 20 horses with past SI issues (some serious) that are now out there competing and doing well.

I think you need to find a better vet…

[davistina67]

[QUOTE=lstevenson;5218402]
They were all diagnosed with some combination of bone scans, xrays, ultrasounds, palpation, and a clinical lameness exam. The horse with the fracture in his SI never did bone scan, just xrays and ultrasound. My own current horse’s bone scan lit up extremely in his SI, and two years later he is still doing great after injection 4 ways and a gradual strengthening program. In fact I personally know of about 20 horses with past SI issues (some serious) that are now out there competing and doing well.

I think you need to find a better vet…[/QUOTE]

LOL, u know 20 horses that had SI problems and all got bone scans. Right…

Read the published material like one of the posters did. The outcome published is not good.

[lstevenson]

@davistina67;5218414

LOL, u know 20 horses that had SI problems and all got bone scans. Right…

Please read for comprehension.

And I know of so many horses with SI issues because I am a trainer who sees lots and lots of horses, and I have also been an equine vet tech.

[davistina67]

[QUOTE=lstevenson;5218428]
Please read for comprehension.

And I know of so many horses with SI issues because I am a trainer who sees lots and lots of horses, and I have also been an equine vet tech.[/QUOTE]

LOL, sure…

[lstevenson]

@davistina67;5158818

One of my horses has SI problems. After many, many appointments and big bucks on other vets, my awesome chiropractor, who is also a vet found that my horses problem was the SI. Since my horse is insured she suggested I go to CSU and get a bone scan to confirm it. Sure enough, she was right. I followed her suggestion and did the SI injection that is above the joint. It sounds like the same injection that Candico had on her horse. She goes in about 3 inches and injects saripin around the ligament. (mixed with a couple other things but that is the main thing) She does this at the barn and it costs about $180 and I have it done every 6 months to a year. It is not nearly as risky as going into the joint and she says she has much better results as opposed to going into the joint. According to her, since the joint is so low motion, most of the pain comes from the surrounding area of the SI. If a horse doesn’t respond to the shallow injection she will go into the joint but prefers to do the least invasive things first.

Yup, here’s your problem. You need a better vet. If you have only been injecting locally, I can see why you think what you do…

Honestly, if you still have that horse you should get it ultrasound injected into the joint from 4 different angles, and you will see the difference.

[davistina67]

[QUOTE=lstevenson;5218445]
Yup, here’s your problem. You need a better vet. If you have only been injecting locally, I can see why you think what you do…

Honestly, if you still have that horse you should get it ultrasound injected into the joint from 4 different angles, and you will see the difference.[/QUOTE]

LOL, that is not the problem. You don’t understand the full picture. Years ago it was a trend to go in and inject the joint. Since then vets have learned that is does not help many horses. Guided by US or not. Now they have found that the joint itself is not usually effected, and if it is, there is little that can be done. If the joint is mildly effect, injections of the lig is giving the best results.

[lstevenson]

@davistina67;5218458

Years ago it was a trend to go in and inject the joint. Since then vets have learned that is does not help many horses. Guided by US or not. Now they have found that the joint itself is not usually effected, and if it is, there is little that can be done. If the joint is mildly effect, injections of the lig is giving the best results.

LOL, the fact that you believe that is why you think that horses can’t recover from SI injury to go on to dressage and jumping. That is simply not true. And since you say you have a horse with an (unresolved?) SI problem, it would be very wise of you to re-think your beliefs.

[davistina67]

[QUOTE=lstevenson;5218463]
LOL, the fact that you believe that is why you think that horses can’t recover from SI injury to go on to dressage and jumping. That is simply not true. And since you say you have a horse with an (unresolved?) SI problem, it would be very wise of you to re-think your beliefs.[/QUOTE]

Experience goes a long ways!

[Lieslot]

Thx LStevenson, I hope my horse will indeed be one of the success stories. My goals for him are training level dressage, I hope this will work. On monday I’ll be discussing a rehab exercise program with my vet.
Anyone with suggestions or can tell me what rehab work they did and how long, I’d love to hear it!

I totally understand you reservation davistina from some articles I read, I am definitely worried about it all and can see why some horses do not return to full use :(.

[Warmbloodedx2]

SI injections for horses

[QUOTE=rideforfun56;4061421]
I’m interested in other horse owners experiences with their horses recovery from SI joint injections. Like, how soon did you notice improvement? Was it a gradual improvement or one day everything was back to normal. How long was it from the date of the injections until there was a full recovery (and was there a full recovery)? What methods were used to get the horse back into condition? Any special considerations given due to the nature of the injury and treatment? Would the horse be sore for a while just from the injection procedure itself?

My horse just has injections in both left and right SI joints last Friday (April 23). After 10 months of a mystery ailment, I don’t want to get my hopes up (or down) with unreasonable expectations - your experiences will help me cope.[/QUOTE]

I have my mares SI injected annually. Her performance has improved drastically since I’ve begun this maintence. The recovery is similiar to joint injections. I hand walk for a couple days and then light turnout(if horse isn’t a runner), for 2-3 days and then back to light work for a couple more days then proceed back to your regular work. Unless your horse has been off for a long period of time then your work will have to be slower. Hope this helps.

[Goink77]

Hi everyone im new to this forum and unfortunately cant upload a video of my mare walking. I believe she has a si problem . Her left hind leg is super stiff it almost looks like she reaching and plodding it down in each stride she takes. Very stiff in a canter. She is very cranky and reluctant to do anything. Weve had her a year now and shes always had this problem but ive never seemed to be able to get answers from the drs and chiropractor
ive just been researching on line and trying to find a video of a horse that moves like her but i cant find any. If anyone has some experience in this dept potentially si. I would love to be able to show a video somehow to see what you think. Thanks for any advice

[mydogs]

@Goink77

Hi everyone im new to this forum and unfortunately cant upload a video of my mare walking. I believe she has a si problem . Her left hind leg is super stiff it almost looks like she reaching and plodding it down in each stride she takes. Very stiff in a canter. She is very cranky and reluctant to do anything. Weve had her a year now and shes always had this problem but ive never seemed to be able to get answers from the drs and chiropractor
ive just been researching on line and trying to find a video of a horse that moves like her but i cant find any. If anyone has some experience in this dept potentially si. I would love to be able to show a video somehow to see what you think. Thanks for any advice

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