Any updates on this thread and SI injections? Thinking about calling my vet to talk to him about it after getting hock injections in December with minimum results. I’m seeing cantering issues like bunny hopping and this sort of “propping” motion (both legs stab the ground together) when asked for a downward transition to a trot. Sound like SI issues?
[QUOTE=kiwifruit;4624875]
Any updates on this thread and SI injections? Thinking about calling my vet to talk to him about it after getting hock injections in December with minimum results. I’m seeing cantering issues like bunny hopping and this sort of “propping” motion (both legs stab the ground together) when asked for a downward transition to a trot. Sound like SI issues?[/QUOTE]
Or stifle.
My horse was “diagnosed” with SI problems last September and I was told he would never jump again etc etc. I would be lucky if he was sound as a flat horse.
WELLLLL I didn’t like that answer! I ended up turning out my horse from October-July (mainly because it was my last semster in college).
We injected the muscles around the SI to reduce inflammation and didn’t see a huge improvement. Injected the muscle again the next month and still no go.
Anyways, I did LOTS of reading about SI injuries and was convinced that wasn’t the sole problem. I had another vet look at him and we found an issue in his right fetlock. Injected the fetlock and my horse is SOUND!
The point of this is, maybe there is another issue causing the SI to be sore. My horse was definitely sore in his SI area but as soon as I resolved the fetlock issue, that solved my SI issue 
And my horse has started jumping again and doing well!
[QUOTE=Lives2Jump;4627125]
My horse was “diagnosed” with SI problems last September and I was told he would never jump again etc etc. I would be lucky if he was sound as a flat horse.
WELLLLL I didn’t like that answer! I ended up turning out my horse from October-July (mainly because it was my last semster in college).
We injected the muscles around the SI to reduce inflammation and didn’t see a huge improvement. Injected the muscle again the next month and still no go.
Anyways, I did LOTS of reading about SI injuries and was convinced that wasn’t the sole problem. I had another vet look at him and we found an issue in his right fetlock. Injected the fetlock and my horse is SOUND!
The point of this is, maybe there is another issue causing the SI to be sore. My horse was definitely sore in his SI area but as soon as I resolved the fetlock issue, that solved my SI issue And my horse has started jumping again and doing well![/QUOTE]
I had the opposite issue. Horse was diagnosed with a left fetlock problem injected it and no improvement. After more than a 2 hour lameness exam the SI was injected. Serious improvement. Took the horse back and the vet injected a site 2 vertabrae in front of the SI. Horse is sound and has no issues now. Knock on wood.:winkgrin:
Two similar cases, completely different results.:lol:
We will see, I am taking our old man to the vet today, because he is a little bit off on his good front foot, the left one.
No telling what it may be, but at 30 years old and never off before, who knows, foot, ankle, knee, something else reflecting on slightly on and off there?
[QUOTE=kiwifruit;4624875]
I’m seeing cantering issues like bunny hopping and this sort of “propping” motion (both legs stab the ground together) when asked for a downward transition to a trot. Sound like SI issues?[/QUOTE]
this exact way of going was arthritic stifle in my gelding. Infact I spent nearly 3 years chasing mystery lameness in him but it was this precise way of going at the canter that finally led me stifle. Xrayed and the stifle was clean, but when the vet replaced the synovial fluid, the stuff she drew out was pink, apparently he’d torn his meniscus (or whatever the equine equivalent is).
he never had popping stifles, and only got hung up once or twice, so all the vets I used over the years never suspected stifle at all.
my gelding didn’t have any soundness problems per se but was VERY back sore over the lumbar, SI, and gluteal areas. We had originally associated it with saddle fit but overall the cause is unknown.
After 3 weeks of rest, Robaxin, and bute I decided that there was no improvement and more aggressive action was needed. He had an ultrasound guided SI injection today and I’ll report back on our progress. My vet prescribed 5 days of no riding then walk riding for 5 days, the gelding may continue to go out, Aquatred in 7 days, and a gradual return to work after the 10 days. The chiropractor will check in 3 weeks and the vet will recheck in 4. We will continue with Robaxin and bute.
The horse I’m leasing had both SIs injected last fall–he was kicking his way through canter departs and decidedly uneven but not lame. Vet pegged it to the SI joints right away. We did the injections on a Tuesday, gave him a couple of days off, then did very easy walk-trot for the next week or thereabouts. The improvement was not instantaneous, but it was pretty darn quick–by the time we cantered again, the hitch in his getalong was GONE and he hasn’t balked at an up transition since.
Have a now 5yo mare who was diagnosed with SI-major work up to confirm why she cantered like a rabbit and couldn’t hold her hind leads and skipping in the down transitions. No outward pain on palpitation in her back so it took more diagnostics. Had her injected last summer and made quite a bit of difference. Worked her until the holidays, gave her sometime off and when she came back, the canter was much better but still not quite right so we had her injected again and now a major improvement. (both injections were done by experienced vets who have done it a lot) 3 days stall rest, hand walking and back to work and turn out. Lots of hill work and “long trotting” to build those muscles and ligaments!
My horse has had his SI joint injected. He was dragging his right hind foot on occasion and when standing on level ground his right hip was lower than his left. Took him to a wonderful chiropractor who works in conjunction with my vet - both said SI. Chiropractor adjusted him, vet gave injections to help reduce the inflammation. Vet said to keep him on stall rest for three days and then back to work, focus on cantering, not too much trot work at the beginning. Improvement was immediate.
From what the chiropractor said this is a very common injury and often happens when the horse hyper-extends one or both back legs from slipping in mud, slipping while getting up from sleeping, you name it.
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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=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.
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.
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.
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.
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[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.
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.
[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?
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=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.
