# shoulder lameness??



## fawn (28 July 2008)

Hi, if anyone could help me with this problem i would be really grateful.
I had a jumping lesson on my nine year old thouroughbred recently who has a history of check ligament problems. Four days later after doing some flatwork he seemed to hobble on the way  out to his field, this did not seem unusual as the path is stony in places and he often seems to feel it slightly.
the next day he came in quite obviously lame in walk and pointing his toe when standing. we kept him in that night until the vet came. he suggested that it was a brused sole and that we should use a hot poltice  for four days and then if the horse was still lame call him again. he also suggested that i try raising his heels and using shoe pads. Once he had been polticed and box rested for the required time we called our farrier in. the horse was not as obviously lame at walk, but you could still see it easily at trot. he said that he thought the hooves were fine and that no special shoeing was required. he believed that it may be a shoulder problem. i have been reading about shoulder problems and they seem fairly serious so if anyone has any advice i would be really grateful. i  cannot see any sign of shoulder trauma- would it be caused by jumping 2ft6" fences?
My farrier was not sure that box rest was required, and as my horse hates box rest i have turned him out tonight. the farrier said that if he was still lame in two days he would come back out and have another good look at the foot to make sure it is not a foot problem and then i would proabably have to get the vet back out. i trust both my farrier and vet completely but i am now unsure as to whether turning him out tonight was the right thing to do- any suggestions please.


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## silvershadow81 (29 July 2008)

From reading your post you are in exactly the same boat as me, but two months behind!

From all the people I have spoken to I have been told over and over that horses only get shoulder injuries in 2% of cases.  My vet recons he sees one every two years.  I was SO adement that it was shoulder, but my views have changed now..

This is my story: (sorry its long as ive tried lots!)

My girl evented sunday fine
Monday hacked, tuesday schooled (a motorbike flew past arena and she lunged forwards and triped, but fine after), 

weds shod and then hacked in evening, thursday hopelessly lame, wouldnt walk on hard ground, only on grass???

I got the farrier straight out and her checked for abcesses, no reaction with hoof pinchers and her feet were totally balanced.

Vet was really unsure and wanted her in for blocks.

As over two days, she could now walk on hard ground but appeared to be very sore in her left shoulder i put off the blocking and got a myofacial release and mc timmony lady out.

She said that her muscles int he shoulder were so tight she was higher in her body more on the left than the other.  She did look much softer in her shoulder and i still work on her with the exercises i was told to do each night.

Since then she has got much better being bought back into hack work and now sound in walk and trot on the roads, but very 'hobbly' when asked to turn tight, or on the lunge in canter on the right rein....  (we believe the issue to be in her left fore)

Well today I will take her for those blocks (she is so needle shy we havent wanted to do this) and at least i will know one way or the other.

if she is still lame with the LF blocked then maybe we will have been right with the shoulder??

Good luck with it all, and please let me know how you get on! xx


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## ischa (29 July 2008)

my friends cob had a shoulder injury about six  months back she ended up stabling and putting on bute for a month
but it was caused by him charging around in field after a months worth of rest and some bute 
he hasnt  been lame ever since good luck


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## Touchwood (29 July 2008)

Shoulder injuries are actually inbelievably rare, and what looks like a shoulder lameness can often be due to something in the foot.
In addition to that, check ligament injuries are normally caused by a compensation for pain elsewhere, it is uncommon for a horse to pull the check ligament in isolation.

The two points above would suggest to me that you need to be looking at something going on in the feet - how are the feet?


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## silvershadow81 (29 July 2008)

Touchwood,  this is what i have been told aswell and is why my girl who has exact same symptoms is going for blocking/ xray and scans today... in an hour and a half!!!  aaarrrhhh!!


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## Doublethyme (29 July 2008)

My sister's boy has tweaked his shoulder muscles on 3 occasions - several times being "broken leg" lame in the field - first time vet prescribed box rest and bute for a week and then turn out for a few days - he was fine back to work.

This is what we have also done the 2 other times (not close together, so its not that he hasn't recovered each time).

However, as Torchwood has pointed out - we firmly believe the continual shoulder pulling was caused by incorrect foot balance and poor confirmation on that leg - he also ended up bruising a tendon (two months off).     Poor farriery was absolutely the cause, a year out of shoes and trimmed by an DAEP trimmer and his foot balance is fab and he is back in shoes (different farrier) as doing lots of PC stuff and is storming and *touch wood* no shoulder issues.

Therefore definitely worth looking lower down as possibly the main cause is feet not shoulder.


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## tiger_feet (30 July 2008)

I'm currently going through the same situation. On Saturday I did two ridden showing classes then headed to do a ODE on the Sunday.  The horse came off the lorry fine and into the stable.  When I checked him before heading to bed he was lame in his near fore. Thought it could have been an abscess or nail bind as he'd had his feet done a few days previously.  

But then on Sunday morning he couldn't move an inch and had tied up so had to call out a vet immediately - panic situation when you are 3 hours away from home!  We managed to get him stabalized and we got home that afternoon.

On the Monday morning called my vet to come and look at him only to find him routed to the spot again and shaking and coat staring when I arrived at the yard. Called the vet and told them to get someone up immediately. They came within 10 minutes and gave him drugs. He settled and then in the evening he was more mobile but still not using the near fore and not bending it at all.  

Yesterday morning he was much better and last night moving around the stable freely. Today he's using the leg nearly at normal and managed to trot up for the vet.  

A swelling has appeared on the girth area behind the elbow today but we are still at odds as to why he tied up so badly and whether it's deep muscular damage to the shoulder and how the hell he did it. They are even more confused because the blood analysis for him tying up doesn't correspond with what they were expecting to see. The levels weren't anything as high as what they should have been. 

It's all very strange and after 4 vet visits we are still not sure what's going on!  
	
	
		
		
	


	




  Anybody had anything similar?


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