Does anyone have experience with SI issues? Did your horse have a favorable outcome? Really struggling with it right now and was looking for what other people have experienced.
We had success with a series of Shock Wave therapy.
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What kind of SI issues? Arthritis, ligament issue, an injury? We’ll be able to help more if you specify what you’re seeking outcomes to.
Yes, it would be helpful if you have more specific info about the SI issues you are dealing with. But to answer your question—yes. One of my mares had an SI ligament injury that completely healed and she has never had any issues again. She was 6 when it was diagnosed and she is now 13. I compete her in lower level eventing and dressage. The rehab was long—6 months in a very specific rehab riding and on stall rest/handwalking only.
I will say that it’s important that you are working with a vet who can diagnose whether the problem is arthritis vs. soft tissue injury, etc. The treatment is very different depending on the issue. If you inject an SI when a horse has a ligament injury—it may make them more comfortable temporarily, but it won’t solve the issue. Same with mesotherapy, or other modalities.
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I have one that has an SI that gets irritated from time to time. Ended up doing Pro Stride. Worked amazingly well! My vet did say that the research is now showing that steriod injections into the SI joint specifically make the joint less elastic, so I would go straight to Pro Stride or another biological vs the typical steriod type injections.
Look into the masterson method. My one mare has SI and sore back on and off from her constant abscesses she got after leaving the track. Massage, chiro, and daily use of the masterson method cleared her up completely. HUGE believer in the masterson method!
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Agreed that it depends on what type of issues if our experiences were relevant.
My TB had a dramatic wipeout when running as he forgot to slow when he turned. There was plenty of SI damage from it… The chiro vet and massage therapist would come out at the same time, as adjustments made him have very visible muscle spasms. Over a few months of treatment, as well as just dressage basics, he developed the muscle support to allow it to heal even and easily. It had zero long term effect.
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I just had Chief’s SI injected this week. I will let you know what I feel after tomorrow. He gets to start walking tomorrow and Monday, then trot Tuesday and Wed. We will start our training program officially after Wed with regular riding if he feels good then.
Have you been able to rule out a herniated disc? My horse had SI issues for years and had to have injections at least yearly. He also had regular bodywork–massage and chiro–and he always reacted strongly in the SI area. We finally discovered via rectal ultrasound that he had a moderately severe herniated disc at L6-S1. We believe he may have a mild herniation there for some years, but it was exacerbated during his latest EPM flare. My story does not have a happy ending as I had to let him go due to chronic pain from the herniation and lingering proprioception and coordination issues behind due to nerve damage from the EPM. Herniated discs are apparently much more common in horses than once thought but they are tricky to detect as they usually require MRI unless they are no further forward than L6-S1, when they can be seen via rectal ultrasound. Good luck with your guy!
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My gelding had a major success story. It took a bit to diagnosis as an SI issue…started when he was 6 yo. Lots of sudden resistance to going forward, stopping, kicking out, half-rears…I kept pushing the vets that this was not “him” and there was something wrong. Got a few “send him to a cowboy” and he’s being naughty. Nope, I stuck by the fact that I knew we just hadn’t found the reason. Eventually one vet suggested a rectal US to look at the joint from the underside…SI inflammation and S1 nerve root inflammation. We did injections, gabapentin and other anti-inflammatory meds and rode for about 8 months…trying to keep his core strength (since I am a human PT…SI issues get worse when the core gets weak). It worked for a bit, then it didn’t. So he got to just be a horse and get turned out for 15 months. I weaned him off all meds…two months in I thought we would have to put him down - he wouldn’t move at all in the field. Then he started to roll, then trot, then a buck. I started him back after 15 mo off (I was told he would most likely just be a pasture pet, maybe light trail ride). We walked on a loose rein for over a month. It took me 6 months before we cantered. It took a year before I asked for more than basic w/t/c on a light contact. 2 years later, he started to go back to collected work. And he kept going. We have some issues…his one flying change can be late if you don’t work really hard to set him up perfectly. He can be a little bit haunches right all the time. I thought we would never get a clean change on the one side…but last year he did. He is back to solid Int 1 work. I tried last summer to work on some piaffe/passage, and he started to get sore, so we stopped. I also have to be very careful about his warmup and work load. It is really easy to do too much and him get a bit sore…he is very good about telling me when he is feeling sore and if he needs a 2-3 week break (which he gets a few times a year). I did get him a PEMF/massage blanket that he loves…and found that magnesium helps as well. I am super lucky that he came back to do as much as he does…but I was/am really careful about his work. He is know 15. I showed him PSG at 13yo, and I1 at 14yo…it took from 6yo to 12/13 to do all the rehab and feel that he was not going to have a major set-back. But, I’ve always believed in him and felt he was worth the time and effort (he is a sweetheart and easy horse to be around…not spooky yet can be pretty flashy). Luckily you can given him a month off and just hop on and ride…so it makes it easy to manage him!
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Hi everyone! sorry for the delay!! Ended up not being SI at all - it is neck arthritis which is going to be career limiting. It was disappointing but was glad to have a diagnosis.
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What were the symptoms, if you don’t mind me asking?
