# Shoulder muscle injury- how long to recover?



## red marksman (26 August 2007)

A month or so ago my daughters pony was lame in front the day after competing in the Pony club Area event. It was diagnosed as a shoulder muscle injury (scapula)- possibly from landing steeply after a drop. He was box rested with controlled in hand exercise for a couple of weeks and had 3 sessions of physio. He seemed much better but the lameness still showed up on a circle or on a soft surface. For the past fortnight she has been hacking him out in walk and a bit of trot as advised by the physio. He is turned out for an hour , but no longer as he starts monstering about! He is still not completely right and still taking the odd unlevel stride. Can anyone give me an idea of how much longer these things take to heal completely - or should we just write off the rest of the season ?(I have filled in an entry form for an event at the end of Sept, but am now wondering whether to send it off or not, coz even if he is better, he will have lost a lot of fitness)


----------



## puddicat (26 August 2007)

_Can anyone give me an idea of how much longer these things take to heal._ 

Nope not really because you haven't got a definite diagnosis and and the recovery time would vary a lot depending on the amount of damage and which of the many shoulder muscles was damaged.  Your vet is the person who can give you the most accurate guess.


----------



## red marksman (26 August 2007)

It was the vet who made the original diagnosis and recommended physio and the treatment we have followed. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced anything similar. I appreciate that no two injuries are directly comparable, but it doesn't hurt to ask!


----------



## Ashf (27 August 2007)

Yes, it can take months. Our pony hurt her shoulder (muscular), and it has only come good now after 6 months off with a combination of physio, rest and walking out in hand - no riding. I'd not push it, else you could keep aggravating it.


----------



## xfeex (27 August 2007)

one of ours had a shoulder injury and it took over a year to recover 100%


----------



## puddicat (27 August 2007)

_ I appreciate that no two injuries are directly comparable, but it doesn't hurt to ask! _

Well yes it does if at the least you aren't going to learn anything useful and at worst you get misleading information.

For many conditions the nature of the injury can be described precisely and the recovery time falls within a reasonably narrow bandwidth so collecting information from people who have experienced similar injuries is useful.  It is not as useful as asking the vet because of course during their training they learn the likely prognosis of injuries based on published studies of hundreds of cases whereas if you ask on an open forum you get the self-selecting opinions of a few people.

For some conditions, and yours is one, the lack of an accurate diagnosis means that the recovery time could vary between a few days and a year and so you learn nothing whatsoever by asking people on a forum.  So far you have had two people whose animals recovered after 6 months.  You have no idea whether these conditions have anything in common with yours.  Shoulder injury is a very loose diagnosis and could mean many things.  Also, there tends to be a bias on HHO for people who have had worst case outcomes to post more than those with best case outcomes.

The moral of the story is collecting people's experiences can be useful in situations where the condition is well defined and the sources of random variation are low.  In other circumstances it is useful to realise that it tells you nothing at all.


----------



## red marksman (27 August 2007)

Thanks for your replies stencilbum and xninax. Although if what puddicat says is the case then we might as well shut down the veterinary section herewith- as no-one's experience or advice will be of any use to anyone!!


----------



## puddicat (27 August 2007)

What puddicat says is the case, although the conclusions you draw from it are obviously wrong as I clearly outlined the conditions under which limited, biased anecdotal evidence can be useful.

It's interesting isn't it that although the information I've given you is the most valuable in terms of understanding the situation you are in, you appear to value it least.  I wonder why that is.  Perhaps you simply don't understand the statistical point I'm making (which would appear to be so by your conclusion) so basically you've missed the point.  Or perhaps it is not the answer you want to hear.   Sometimes the correct answer is that there is no answer but these days people find that increasingly impossible to accept - hence the flourishing quackery sector.

Anyhow good luck with the horse, the one thing you can be reasonably certain of is that it will go sound after an undetermined  period of time.


----------



## red marksman (27 August 2007)

Puddicat-I must admit to being slightly tongue in cheek when writing my last post. I do understand the statistics that you gave, and appreciate your replies. I know that there is no right answer to my original post - but that does not stop me from wanting to gain comfort (or otherwise!) from listening to other peoples experiences. That in essence is what a forum is- a mutual support system. No-one believes that it is the answer to all their problems, and certainly not a replacement for the vet! We all cling to what we can in times of stress or worry. Iam currently reading Richard Dawkins 'The God Delusion' and he really gives a hard time to anyone believing in anything that is not backed up by scientific proof- I think you would enjoy it!!


----------



## monstermunch (30 August 2007)

Unfortunately puddicat is correct in what is said. As much as it is a pain in the bum because you would like to cling to some hope shoulder injuries vary massively as the sheer number of muscles involved means you require a definate diagnosis. Without knowing the exact muscle involved (if it is a muscular problem) it is nearly impossible to predict how long a shoulder injury would take to heal. Due to the complexity of the joint generally speaking they take a long time to heal but again that is a sweeping statement without exact diagnosis. Your physio should have been able to tell you what muscles were involved and whether any palpable damage was present (very severe shoulder injuries to superficial muscles will leave holes and disrupted muscle fibres which a good physio will be able to detect).
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and wish you look with the healing process


----------



## kimmy123 (25 December 2010)

nutrophils heal muscle injury and these are in the blood, id reccomend either getting an equine massage therapist to increase the blood flow to the area or even just rubbing, kneading or stroking her shoulder as often as possible as long as it is not causing her pain. 

Another trick i have used is to electric fence off the centre of the field so there is only a track around the edge for her to walk around, put some hay at the opposite end of the gate and she will have to walk all the way around the field and encourage her to keep steady in a more confined space 
just ideas 

id say from the diagnosis of the injury and what you have said at a rough guess it would take around 3 more months for the muscle to heal, then another 3 months of very slowly developing this muscle to strengthen it again. i hope this helps, and of course the vet knows best this is just suggestions 

hope she is better soon


----------



## ofcourseyoucan (25 December 2010)

one would hope after nearly 3 years this injury has healed or horse has gone to gallop with jesus!!


----------



## Maesfen (25 December 2010)

Love your reply OCYC!  Would be nice to know for certain though.


----------

