Extensor Tendon Sheath Swelling Knee - Experiences? Rehab?

[Bem55]

Has anyone had experience with this?

My horse has managed to hurt his on his RF knee and is lame, probably 1-2/5 lameness. No idea how he did it, he’s not the most agile so I suspect he was playing in the paddock…

The vet has been to check it out - I wasn’t able to be there, but he has been on box rest for the last week, initially with but 1x a day and DMSO applied 2x a day. He’s due to be rechecked Monday, if we have no improvements she wants to inject cortisone into the tendon sheath and mentioned U/S as well.

I’m feeling a bit despondent, he was really unsettled last night and it looks like there is maybe a little more swelling than previously. I have taped him into a small stable sized corner of the paddock and he is much more relaxed.

I have been putting BOT knee boots on when possible, but they do seem to want to slip down

[Thekrakensbride]

Me! This happened to my horse in January - if you do a board search there’s a post where I was freaking out about it. He managed to do it in his stall, no idea how. Was sound at the walk but lame at the trot.

What your vet said is in line with what my vet told me re: injecting it with cortisone if the swelling doesn’t go down. We also treated with a DMSO cream but I was instructed to poultice over top of it once daily (what we used was not straight DMSO, I don’t know that thats safe to do with straight DMSO so I don’t recommend it without talking to your vet first). He also didn’t tolerate stall rest so we were allowed to turn him out in a small area with good footing (since it was winter we used our arena) with a chill buddy. All in all, it took about 5-6 days for the swelling to go completely down and maybe 10 days or so after that to be completely sound at the trot. He’s perfectly fine now.

[JB]

Just DMSO? No dex in there? I’d rather do some treatment with dex/dmso before injecting, just because sticking a needle in there brings inherent risks I’d want to avoid if at all possible.

Is the area still warm? If so, I probably would be icing a few times a day, not using BOT boots. Cold therapy where there is swelling and/or heat.

In the process of doing whatever he did to bruise and inflame the ET, he may have also bruised the bone, and that can take a REALLY long time to settle down. Months. And I’d want to get an xray of that at various points to make sure a sequestrum wasn’t developing.

[Bem55]

Yes just DMSO, not sure if we have dex here / what it is but will ask. It’s never been really hot, slightly warm but the heat has gone out of it now.

The vet is coming today so I will see how he is looking and discuss whether or not we need to X-ray it as well.

I have nooo idea how he’s managed this one… He lives on his own in safe hazard free paddocks… the only hazard is probably himself!!

[Bem55]

Update following the vet visit, he is sound after the week of confinement and he’s migrated to a small yard outdoors as he’s much happier. We are continuing with the DMSO once daily. I’m away for 2 weeks so we will recheck him again following that.

the vet was a bit concerned as the sheath was up prior but it had been assessed a month or so prior and was fine so he’s obviously managed to do something to it in the paddock. We are a bit stumped as to how but suspect he was a twit in the wet.

There was some concern about the injury now I guess since he essentially managed to redo it, we will look at doing an U/S when I’m home.

Somehow i I have managed to jump to further conclusions of arthroscopy - even though it wasn’t mentioned, only that they can become tricky to get right.

I feel like I need moral support that it will all be ok! I hope…

[jawa]

My horse injured his Nov 2016 out hunting. Stall rest was prescribed. He wouldn’t behave on stall rest. I tried a amall paddock and had the sheath injected. Still wouldn’t behave (even with drugs). Jan of 2017 I turned him out and hoped for the best. He was back under saddle in April and released to full work in July. By Nov of 2017 you couldn’t find any evidence of a swollen tendon sheath.

[Bem55]

@jawa thanks, it seems like one of those things that can be tricky to heal but comes right eventually. Hopefully!!

Only problem with mine is that he managed to do it turned out in the paddock :uhoh:

[jawa]

Mine is awful in turnout without regular work. When I had mine turned out in the smallest paddock I have by himself, the farm manager came by to let me know he had seen him galloping around some and that he had taken a turn a little too tightly and pancaked in the paddock. I envisioned my healing horse continuing to be stupid and hurt himself worse, so I turned him out with access to a larger area plus the small paddock in order to get his wiggles out.

Jingling for you both. They sure will make you pull your hair out!