Partially Torn Ligament in Hip/Stifle

[HereComesZach]

Sorry, I’m going a little nuts over this one - I’ve been reading through older threads but I think I’m too upset/panicked about this to sort through the info, and would love to be talked through any modern recommendations for rehab or even hear stories of successful rehabilitation.

Over the past 5 years I’ve had to put down two horses due to lingering soft tissue lameness that they came to me with that I could not resolve, so that is leading to my panic.

Horse is 21 yo large pony, history unknown, I picked him up from an auction in 2017. One of my boarders body slammed him into a fence post hard enough to break the post and partially tore the tendon that runs from his hip down his stifle. This is my first opportunity to deal with a soft tissue injury from the start, so I’m desperately hoping that means I can actually rehab this one

He is currently being limited to his stall and a very small paddock.

If he was your horse, what would you do/recommend? Any additional treatments? Anything I can look at from a nutrition perspective to help him heal? Topicals? Lazers?

Vet says he needs to be contained for at least the next two months so that limiting movement can help the tendon heal and reduce the risk of it tearing completely. What are the recommended rehabs after this? I would love to hear anyone’s experience!

[Amy3996]

ProStride injections helped one horse in my barn tremendously. They inject directly into the tear and it helps the soft tissue healing process along. She was on complete stall rest for the first 8 weeks or so, and then began a long rehab. Started with 5 minute hand walks and worked it’s way up to 30 minute walks twice a day, including ground poles and such over the next eight or so months. By about 10 months post injury she was ready to start back under saddle. They also incorporated a lot of isometric type exercises and stretches to help improve her proprioception.

If your regular vet is not well versed in some of the new injection and treatment options for soft tissue injuries and best practices for rehab, I’d consult your nearest vet school or a larger practice.

[IPEsq]

From a nutrition perspective, make sure the pony is still getting balanced nutrition even though you may need to reduce calories while he’s confined. You could also try something like Platinum Performance’s Osteon, but it’s a lot of powder volume.

If it’s superficial enough to be seen on ultrasound, you may be able to do some good with laser and/or PEMF. If it’s really deep in there (I’m not sure what tendon or ligament this is, specifically… normally I think of muscles like the TFL or quadriceps), then the amount of time per session needed for laser to work will be unmanageable.

Normally, after the initial rest period, controlled exercise is important to have the soft tissue heal in a more elastic manner. Controlled exercise can be in the form of as little as 10 minute hand walks to under saddle work, and how much you do and how fast you go with it and when will depend on the nature of the injury and how it’s healing. As well as how compliant your patient is with the controlled part.