# Strained Tendon sheath/surgery.. has anyone...



## jhoward (18 February 2009)

had this done on their horse? and what were the results, and the outcome of the long term future of the horse?

basically i have a mare, injury not healing, after being let out of box rest it instantaly flaired up (is 5 months old) vet has said it may be the only way forward. 

mare is a bsja horse, due to temprement, shes not going to be suitable for anything else. 

id really like to here others experiances. good or bad.


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## kizzywiz (18 February 2009)

Can you post some more details?  What is the injury &amp; what treatment have you had so far?


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## also_shasha (18 February 2009)

Sorry, cant help with the surgery results but my TB mare also had a tendon sheath injury.  She had 6 weeks box rest and then walked in hand twice a day for a further month before being hacked on tar roads at a walk for a further 3 weeks - easier said than done as she was mega hyper!  

Im a great believer in herbal remedies and I rubbed in comfrey creme twice a day onto her injured leg once the bandages were removed, and thankfully she came out of it completely sound, and I never had a problem there after, touch-wood.

Good luck with your mare, I hope you find the answers and she comes out sound soon.


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## jhoward (18 February 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Can you post some more details?  What is the injury &amp; what treatment have you had so far? 

[/ QUOTE ]

she was returened by her loaner in oct 08,. 2 days later she couldnt walk (vet said injury was around 9 days old proberley buted up)

vet advised box rest,. which she had, then to turn her away, on flat land not to muddy.. um i found some where but due to her temprement i had to remove her. she came to yard where i am, slight hills, was doing well. then yo put out another mare and the injury flaired up. shes been on box rest for past 7 weeks, with walks inhad to stretch legs, and in the indoor for a good roll. 

last week vet was out for a lameness work up, 100% sound on lunge and on flexions. vet said to turn her out in the outdoor and see what happens. do or die basically. there was instantley heat in it and shes lame again. 

futures uncertain.


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## 0ldmare (18 February 2009)

I had one with an inflamed tendon sheath. 

Tried rest and it didn't seem to rasolve. But probably not helped by the fact that I didn't box rest her, which the vet had advised. (naughty me! Partly cos I hate box rest and they have to be on 3 legs/near death before I will do it and partly because she would have stressed a lot and then gone balistic when she was released!)

The tendon was scanned. And it was fine, just the tendon sheath. The vet injected steroid into it and it had a pretty dramatic effect, with the swelling going over the course of the following fortnight of so. I gave her another 3 or 4 weeks off, just to make sure. Again still turned out and she has been 100% ever since

There was never at mention of surgery. Can you get a 2nd opinion? Might be worth discussing the steroid injection with your vet?


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## kizzywiz (18 February 2009)

Sorry if this is a bit long, Kizzy came in lame from the field in April 2008, vet diagnosed tendon sheath strain.  Decided to whip her off to my friends rehab yard in Lambourn, vet was a bit upset, but I felt it was the best for Kizzy.  She had loads of cold therapy with Zamar machine &amp; some Bowen initially.  Friends vet scanned when swelling had gone down a bit, no tendon damage, but he said she would be off for maybe 6 months, continued cold therapy &amp; box rest.  Vet reassessed &amp; recommended cortisone &amp; HA injections, said I would struggle to get her sound without.  Thought about it, then went ahead.  She did another week in the box, then a week on the walker, then came home, walked under saddle for a couple of weeks I think, then built up, she stayed sound, was out jumping, competing all fine.  Leg began to fill with fluid, vet checked, sound so carried on riding.  In August she left a leg jumping out of water, next day lame, big fat leg.  Vet scanned, she had torn off the manica flexoria &amp; annular ligament was now huge, he had warned me in April that it was thickened, she went to Liphook &amp; they did the annular ligament &amp; removed the manica flexoria, there was a small amount of damage to the edge of the SDFT where the MF had torn off.   She had 6 weeks box rest with in hand walking, then 6 weeks pen rest with walk under saddle, introduced trot the last week, another scan showed the rough bit on tendon edge was still not healed sufficiently, so remedicated, another 6 weeks walk &amp; trot, then another scan, still a slight fluffy bit, but vet said start to build up canter work, if not strong enough now, never would be.  She's doing well, was concerned this week because as I have stepped the work up, leg has filled a bit, vet says normal after an injury, surgery etc &amp; to continue the work, she has a good chance of staying sound, so I guess if you have no other complicatuons with a second injury in the same area like I did, then the sheath should heal.  Have you had a scan to check for tendon damage, if not suggest you do, some cortisone would help you too I think.


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## hellybelly6 (18 February 2009)

My horse had tenoscopy and debridement of his DDFT and manica flexoria.

2 years later and after lots and lots of slow thorough and careful rehabilitation, he is back to his normal self.  The vets were amazed as they thought he would be in pain pottering around the field and indicated that if this was the case, he should be pts.

He is ridden and is sound.

If you go onto the Weiper's centre website and at the bottom of the page is a link to a video of his surgery,  we are 16 minutes in.

Hope this helps.


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## kizzywiz (18 February 2009)

Sorry meant to say, yonks ago my other pony strained her tendon sheath in the field, we got her sound with box rest, then paddock rest &amp; loads of physio, laser etc, took ages though, I think she was off about a year, but she is 20 now &amp; still has an active life.


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## 0ldmare (18 February 2009)

Sorry, meant cortisone injection not steroid (or maybe they are one and the same!). I know the vet said it was vital to scan as the injection had to be precisely placed.

She genuinely is totally sound since though, no swelling at all, ever.


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## jhoward (18 February 2009)

kizzywiz 


what was concerning me was the injury seemed to locallise its self, 2 hardish lumps either side of fetlock, it was for this i called the vet out again, i wasnt happy with is. a few say it looks like a wind gall. even this week after the heat, and lamness it hasn NOT swollen any more. 

its a long story but shes insured with e and l ( previous loaner not me! ) 

mare although has a good bsja record and with me dressage, is a demond.. she really would kill you or another horse. shes not insured for a huge amount. (3.5k with lou)

i cant afford to stump up sugery money and WILL NOT rely on e and l. 

i guess what i need is reassurance, this horse is a jumping horse, shes not a happy hacker or a dressage horse. (an hour of schooling and shes leaping all over the place. hacking if shes has a hissy its rearing.) 

her future is getting more uncertain by the day and i cant bear it.


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## jhoward (18 February 2009)

sorry just to add.. my vet is changing, my vet is of to oz, she will be havign a different vet, that has seen her once, to be honest, i think hes better (hes an fei vet) but also seems old school, which although  can be harsh i prefure. 

so in a way a second opinion.


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## kizzywiz (18 February 2009)

Thats a tough one, sorry to say that if the swelling has gone hard then that is not a good sign, Kizzys started to go like that before the second injury occured, my vet thinks that maybe she had slight damage to the MF initially which didn't show up on the first scan.  Also, when I rang him yesterday to discuss the filling of the leg that I was concerned about, he told me that as long as the filling wasn't hard, like before, &amp; she wasn't lame etc etc to continue with work, therefore hard is bad.  A scan is not hugely expensive, about £100/150 ish, so if she is a good jumper then wouldn't it be worth it??  If there is no damage to other structures, cortisione &amp; HA injections aren't too dear either, mine was only so expensive, £5,500, because she had 5 scans, surgery, 2 lots of cortisone as well as a months rehab, thank goodness she was insured.  Cold therapy in the initial stages would have helped, but would be ineffective now, so can't really suggest anything else except the scan, at least then you would have a definate diagnosis.  Good luck.


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## jhoward (18 February 2009)

yes to the scan. shes had 2 now. i was a bit taken back by the vets call tonight, so will ring tomorrow, my vets been doing ultra sound scans. is that the same as you ? if so mine cost around 40 quid. plus call out. 

300% worth it. 

i have the gut feeling its not good, after a canter around the school there was instantley heat in it., after 15 mins of hosing there was still a lot of heat.


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## kizzywiz (19 February 2009)

Ok, breath &amp; stay calm. Sorry went to bed last night, yes your scan is the same as mine, but what did it show exactly, if just a strain to the sheath then IMO some cortisone would help to reduce the inflammation, it is the fluid &amp; swelling which causes the lameness, it constricts the tendon.  If there is damage to the tendon or any other structures then that is different, perhaps there is thickening to the annular ligament?  This would have all shown up on the scan.  Feel free to PM me if you prefer, but let me know what the vet said today.  Unfortunately you are miles from me or I could have popped in.  Just ask the vet to explain in plain terms exactly what the scan shows, &amp; different treatments pros &amp; cons, I'll help you go through it if you want.


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