Does anyone have experience with the rehab process after a horse has their SI injected? I am waiting for the vet to email me the official program, but I am curious to see what others have done post-injection.
How long did it take? What were the exercises? What did it consist of? I am eager to get my mare back on the right path to health and work!
Thanks
I had SI injections a few times on one of my horses…the first time my horse had bony fragmentation of the greater and third trochanter…ultrasound showed that the SI would benefit from injection, so when he was coming back into work, he received that injection. As he had been on stall rest for a few months, our program was briskly hand-walking for 20 minutes twice per day for 2 weeks, then I got on and walked about the same time period (20 minutes daily for 2 weeks) and added some trot (1 minute every 5 minutes) over the next 2 weeks. I also had to walk him over cavelletti so he would raise his back. The second time he had not been on stall rest - it was more of a preventative to keep him comfortable during work, so there wasn’t any real change in his existing riding program.
Depends on the reason for injection. If it is just treating inflammation, then 3 days off, 1-2 days of light riding followed by return to full work is a common recommendation.
Really? It surprises me that it’s a return to full work so soon. I guess I thought there’d be at least a few weeks of trying to build a bit more muscle to support the SI
My experience has been similar. Been a while but my vet usually recommended 1 day inside (infection risk), 3 out, then back to work. Not unlike other joints–usually get 5 days off for hocks then back to full work.
Yep. Unless there is an acute injury, every horse I’ve ever dealt with for SI injections has been gradually returning to work over a few days to a week (longer if they were very sore, but even then, no more than 10 days of gradual building back to work).
No specific exercises, either, other than the typical topline building work- hills, long and low stretchy work, raised cavelletti, etc.
If the horse has an actual injury, YMV. But for just a horse that’s sore through the SI (a very common issue, especially with young or green horses), then it really isn’t a big deal.
My vet says keep in stall for first day, turn out for 5 days to a week along with handwalking daily, then start ridden work at the walk and add trot and canter over the next week to 10 days. Horse should be back to full work within 3 weeks of being injected. This worked fine for my mare when she needed her SI joints injected.
It’s really just like any other joint injection.
My horse got a week off. It’s a BIG needle and goes deep into tissue, so bruising and discomfort are common. I was VERY grateful for the experience of COTHers who warned to not expect any improvement for three weeks. Even knowing that, I started panicking at around 16 days. But on day 20 he was markedly improved.
I have SI injections scheduled for a horse on Monday. It’s my first expereince with them. I was told the rehab and post care is actually easier than regular joint injections. Because the joint is more “open” my vet feels that having the horse moving around helps the injected solution move through to any areas of inflamation. He wants them turned out not on stall rest.
There are two injections. The one toward the front of the joint tends to address inflamation associated with a ligament that attaches to the front of the joint. The second injection is towards the center of the joint and is more likely to address inflamtion associated with arthritic type issues.
Because this horse has not been in work for a year (trying to diagnose his issue) if this does solve the problem we will return to work as I normally would bring one back into work. I’m sure I’ll be mounted pretty quickly as that is the only way to tell whether the proceedure is addressing the problem we hope it addesses.
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[QUOTE=yellowbritches;7429773]
Yep. Unless there is an acute injury, every horse I’ve ever dealt with for SI injections has been gradually returning to work over a few days to a week (longer if they were very sore, but even then, no more than 10 days of gradual building back to work).
No specific exercises, either, other than the typical topline building work- hills, long and low stretchy work, raised cavelletti, etc.
If the horse has an actual injury, YMV. But for just a horse that’s sore through the SI (a very common issue, especially with young or green horses), then it really isn’t a big deal.[/QUOTE]
This. One of mine started swapping leads behind after he got too rowdy while free jumping. Nothing showed on x-ray or bone scan, so we injected his SI joints. Treated it just like any other join injection, put him back in work after 3 days off. In full work within 10 days. Improvement showed in about 1 week, though it took a month for him to be back to himself.
[QUOTE=baxtersmom;7429991]
My horse got a week off. It’s a BIG needle and goes deep into tissue, so bruising and discomfort are common. I was VERY grateful for the experience of COTHers who warned to not expect any improvement for three weeks. Even knowing that, I started panicking at around 16 days. But on day 20 he was markedly improved.[/QUOTE]
Oh, good point. I had a little worry last night since my mare is still a little sore when I poke around that area of her back, but it makes sense that a chopstick sized needle would cause a bit more bruising that a regular old needle! Also good to know that it took a few weeks for some improvement; I was definitely under the impression that she should be better within 5 days sorta thing. Takes the pressure off when I go for my first (light) ride tonight for sure.
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