# Coffin Joint Ligament Damage



## Tori83 (6 July 2010)

I am really looking for advice and would like to hear from people who have gone through similar problems with their horse.
Last August I came back from holiday to find my horse lame and the first vet diagnosed a bruised sole a couple of week later he was no better. Cue second vet who after nerve blocking and X-ray located the source of lameness in the coffin joint and diagnosed ligament damage. He recomended box rest and gave Micks Adequan, injections into the joint and he was put on high levels of joint supplement. Around 2 long months later he came sound (January time). I did very light work with him and only started to get back to normal around May/June time. Then at the end of june he goes lame again and its the same thing! Which makes me wonder if it was ever healed or if he has damaged it again. 
So vet said put him back on box rest or turn away. I decided to turn out but i cant do it 24hrs at my stables so he is out during the day in a small flat paddock and in at night. I was happy with my decision and although i knew it would take longer that was OK because he would be happier (he hates being alone and is a nightmare on box rest). However this morning i finally let myself realise he isnt getting any better and may be a bit worse! 
This probably means back on the box rest? 
Im having the vet out next week to check him again but really he can only advise rest? 
Is there anyone who has been through similar with their horse! And what did you do?
Help! Tori xx


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## Loubiepoo (6 July 2010)

Hi, I'm going through similar sort of thing. Horse went lame last Sept, suspected coffin joint problems, had some rest and rehab and by dec was sound again. However, he went lame again in april and although he's pretty much sound again I can tell he's just not right (hard surface on a circle in trot is worse) but just looks more like a short choppy stride than head bobbing lameness. Anyway, I've asked for an MRI scan as I'm not convinced in bone/coffin joint related. So we're going for that this week. My vet says you can't beat them for ruling out ligament/tendon probs and since insurance for this lameness runs out in sept I'm getting it in quick. I'd speak to your vet again and discuss an MRI.


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## misst (6 July 2010)

Hi sorry to hear about this. Do a search on here for collateral ligament damage. There are a lot of us. The latest thing is barefoot rehab - cptrays can tell you a lot. Otherwise it is remedial shoeing, joint injections, rest, very very careful return to work. The outlook is variable and not great I am afraid. Good luck.


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## Izzwizz (6 July 2010)

To anyone who is considering an MRI - its well worth it and was the answer to my mares lameness.  She had a tear to her DDFT and it wouldnt have been found any other way, especially as it was within her hoof.


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## Tori83 (7 July 2010)

I did consider an MRI but with it costing so much and insurance only paying half i was put off plus it isnt a cure its just more diagnosis but i will discuss with my vet again. Thanks for your replies it reasuring to know im not on my own on this one.


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## Darkly_Dreaming_Dex (7 July 2010)

Tori83 said:



			I did consider an MRI but with it costing so much and insurance only paying half i was put off plus it isnt a cure its just more diagnosis but i will discuss with my vet again. Thanks for your replies it reasuring to know im not on my own on this one. 

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Try the RVC at Potters Bar- they do a more reasonable cash price for those outside of insurance. We had already spent the insurance money on Jacob's IRAP, Adequan, Cartrophen and Arthroscopy operation so we paid for the MRI ourselves. Sadly we still have a lame horse ( 2 years now) that no one can tell us exactly why he is lame- there is cartilage damage on coffin joint (corrected by surgery) , a touch of ringbone, an "insignificant" enlargement of the collateral ligamant etc. we have been barefoot for the last year but thast made no change either


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## shirley123 (7 July 2010)

hi three and half years ago my horse damaged his collateral ligaments - the medial in one and the lateral in the other front foot. He was diagnosed via mri after three mth box rest ( came sound) but went lame again 8 weeks later. I would recommend m.r.i. your insurance will pay for it or at least half. pet plan pay the full amount, it was most defiantly worth it. I am afraid the only way forward as far as my vet was concerned ( she was very strict about this !) is total box rest. i did 3 mths before starting the in hand walking starting at 5 mins  2 x a day each rein on a large concert yard. this was gradually increased till i was doing 20 mins 2 x daily. it was very boring ! 4 mths later i got on and started ridden walking half an hour every day for 8 weeks on the roads eekk, not a pleasant experience i can tell you. my rehab program went on another 5 mths. Once i had got to the end of my trotting phase turnout was allowed in a 12metre square. my horse is now sound and going great, excelling in dressage and showing. i have his feet done every 4 weeks to keep them correctly balanced, he is on a joint supplement and a herb called boswellia. i also do not jump him any more.
I put my luck of him coming right down to the fact my vet was so so strict ( i hated it at the time) i so nearly turned him out and went through lots of sedaline and acp tablets, but at the end of the day this thought kept me going, and it was that if i had to have him put to sleep i had too with a clear concious  and to me that meant doing the rehab to the letter according to my strict vet.your welcome to pm me if you like for the details of the rehab. good luck, also there's a great book of rehabilitating and peoples experiences called 'back to work'


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## Ludi-doodi (7 July 2010)

My horse did this injury in 2006 - left fore.  Quite a few people have posted about this type of injury on here and I think, from memory, I seem to be the only one where the vet did an arthscopy and Ludo was in a knee high cast for 3 weeks and a fetlock high cast for another 3 weeks.  Four months box rest in total and a long slow recovery. Got back on board in OCtober, no trotting until February not cantering until April finally signed off in September 15 months after initial diagnosis.  He had the Op in June and by December was sound on the straight but not on a circle.  Vet then suggested IRAP therapy - we had four treatments between December and June and to this day Ludo has been sound on that leg ever since.

This is the day of the op






and here he is 5 weeks later (excuse the hitler style 'tache - he'd got lick all over!)


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## misst (7 July 2010)

Ludi-Doodie  can you tell me how long he was lame for prior to the op and how old he was? It is too late for my lad now I think but I am always interested to hear of different treatments. 
Thanks.


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## Ludi-doodi (8 July 2010)

Sorryhave only just seen your question.   Only about 2-3 months.  I think we noticed a lameness early April and left him to rest a few weeks, it looked fairly low grade but was just never getting better.  He was diagnosed late May-early June and operated mid June.  Had just turned 13.     Last hear he did his hind suspensory ligaments and when the vet was signing him off for that injury commented that he was totally sound on the front - we've been back doing everything over the years, in fact only 2 weeks ago came 2nd in our first ODE since the collatoral ligament injury.


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## misst (9 July 2010)

Thank you for that It is so nice to hear a success story.
It is too late for our lad - he was diagnosed 3 years ago and is retired now and getting a little worse each month and we lost another one to this some years ago it was an acute injury that was misdiagnosed - things are improving though and I think if it happened again - god forbid but it seems remarkably common - I would like to have as much info as possible. Good luck for the future.


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## GMR (12 July 2010)

Do you think a horse ...my horse ! who has got coffin joint arthritis , diagnosed recently, but lame since march may have this as well? He has been treated but is still lame, vet just says give him bute as he is not covered on his insurance . So I have no MRI to prove this may also be the joint ligament
So thinking he is going to have to retire ...I have spent a lot of money already, he has had steroid injections which haven't worked.


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## dad_io (12 July 2010)

Ludi-doodi said:



			My horse did this injury in 2006 - left fore.  Quite a few people have posted about this type of injury on here and I think, from memory, I seem to be the only one where the vet did an arthscopy and Ludo was in a knee high cast for 3 weeks and a fetlock high cast for another 3 weeks.  Four months box rest in total and a long slow recovery. Got back on board in OCtober, no trotting until February not cantering until April finally signed off in September 15 months after initial diagnosis.  He had the Op in June and by December was sound on the straight but not on a circle.  Vet then suggested IRAP therapy - we had four treatments between December and June and to this day Ludo has been sound on that leg ever since.
		
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Sadly you are not alone- i also had arthroscopy on the coffin joint which removed a tiny sliver of bone and tidied up the torn cartilage, that was April 2009 and my beautiful Jacob is still unsound  MRI showed excellent post op healing and a tiny amount of collateral ligament enlargment but no clinical reason for his lameness


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## kaidy (19 July 2010)

Dilemmas .... I want to save a poor boy from being PTS because his current owner cannot compete him anymore due to him being diagnosed with coffin joint 'problems'. This is as much as I know at the moment, don't know as to what level. I am due to meet with the lady tomorrow who is trying to re-home him (free of charge)....she says he needs 6 months rest, and can then be ridden lightly through bouts of lameness which may occur. I am looking for a light hack...no longer compete/ ride hard. What would your advice be on this one...do I take him on with a pre-existing condition, and limited funds (he is 14) or try and not let my heart rule my head, and leave well alone? Advice please people?! xx


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## splashgirl45 (19 July 2010)

its a difficult one if you know the horse,BUT i would look for something else as you will prob have lots of heartache and maybe find he is not sound enough to even go for a gentle hack.  my mare has had nerve blocks and x rays and these show no arthritis or fractures so the vet has assumed soft tissue damage. i have owned her for 8 years and as she is 19 and not insured now i dont have the money for an mri to confirm this so on vets advice she is on 1 danilon a day and i am hacking about 3 times a week just  walking, avoiding rutty ground and if she becomes uncomfortable she will be retired and will be a field ornament as long as she is happy.  this scenario could be what you will have .  hope this helps with your decision...


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## GMR (20 July 2010)

HI, I think maybe if you have a chat with the vet who diagnosed the horse.
It may be perfect for you,
A friend of mine gave his horse away in the same circumstance 6 years ago and it is still being used as a hack on one bute a day.
But some go back to work and some don't.
At the mo, my horse has been diagnosed with coffin joint arthritis and he is still lame.
My insurance does not cover this, so now I have to pay for more treatment and MRI as its probably something else....
I think with any horse its a gamble and can be very expensive in the long term , whichever horse you choose.


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## burtonse (21 July 2010)

my jumping pony had severe damage to the coffin join, surrounding soft tissues etc. he had a total of 18 months out of the ring. He had to be rested for almost a year and then very very gradually brought back into work. i suppose it depends on the extent of the damage to your horse but 2 months off for any coffin joint related injury sound like a very short amount of time!


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## FAB_FERN (22 July 2010)

My mare has had this problem. we had xrays nerve blocks etc and then referred to specialist who did an MRI scan. thankfully we were not insured with NFU who only pay half of an mri. The scan confirmed the damage to collateral ligament of coffin joint. Inflammed they said so 16 weeks box rest and lots of walking. back to specialist for another scan which said all was healed but they she was lame still but not the same. Vet said arthritis in the joint from all the box rest, they wanted to do steriod injection but I said no as she was already over weight and the injection can bring on Lami in a very serious way. She's never had lami but I just didn;t want to take the risk. I brought her home, vet said to bute her and ride in walk and see how she goes. 

Anyway i decided to send her to stud anyway as her lameness was a result of an over reach injury from jumping XC. vet said not a problem. She's now in foal waiting to come hom. She's had another 12 weeks field rest and I hope when she gets back she will be sound. we can go for walks and she can have lots of time off to have a foal. I'm hoping lots of time off will be the cure for my girl.


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## shirley123 (22 July 2010)

I opted for the steroid injections in both coffin joints as part of my horses treatment, they said there was very mild arthritic changes. He was, if being honest a little over weight due to box rest and no work and perhaps a candidate for laminitus, but discussed the risks ( i was lead to believe the risk was obviously there but quite small in comparison to the benefits) with my vet and went ahead. all went well and to date a have a happy sound horse ( 3 yrs ago) - long may he continue to be sound.


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## Loubiepoo (22 July 2010)

Shirley123 - did your horse have ligament damage too or just arthritis in coffin joint? Glad to hear your horse is sound


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## FAB_FERN (22 July 2010)

shirley123 said:



			( i was lead to believe the risk was obviously there but quite small in comparison to the benefits) with my vet and went ahead.
		
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I was also told that the risk was small but the way my luck goes it would be my horse that got it. I asked two people if they had know anything that had had the injection and they both knew someone who'd lost there horse to the lami afterwards so I said no.
The vet understood my worries, i'd rather have a lame horse than a dead one!! She said if I could get her to loose weight then I could bring her back in a few months but in all honesty while she is off work she isn't going to loose weight. 
So she's in foal and next year hopefully she will have lost weight and we can see if she's still lame or not. Then if she is she can have the injection.


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## Stormy123456 (22 July 2010)

My 14.2hh pony had this in 2006. He was mis-diagnosed, and went on, off lame for monthes. Luckily he was insured, and we went ahead and did everything the vet suggested, even though he said the chances of full work again were slim. 

Sorry, I cannot remember the ins and outs of it, but he went to Newmarket for treatment, and also had remedial shoeing and some kind of Lazer treatment (Vaguely remember this). We chucked him out in a field for a year or so, brought him back into work slowly, took about 7 monthes 'til he was hunting again and doing his ODE's. We sold him later that year, for a good ammount (5 times what we paid for him), and he hasn't had a lame day with his new owners since, and still has a full on hunting/pc pony life. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Fingers crossed for you and your horse.

Guttingly, my mare at the moment, hasn't been diagnosed as such, but has been off since April, with suspected Coffin Joint Damage, final verdict is in 2 weeks.  However, apparently her chances of work again are slimmer as she is older (15). 

Good Luck.


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## shirley123 (23 July 2010)

khnat said:



			Shirley123 - did your horse have ligament damage too or just arthritis in coffin joint? Glad to hear your horse is sound 

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yes he had collateral ligament damage , the medial in one foot and the lateral in the other


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## Loubiepoo (23 July 2010)

Thanks for replying - mine has medial collateral damage, no tear just massively enlarged and inflammed, bone also innflammed - just starting shockwave treatment and planning on giving him PRP too. sigh


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## shirleytwixie (20 April 2014)

Hi I am going through the same problem my horse diagnosed with callateral ligament damage on left fore it was on both legs but one has healed well  about 99.9% but is still very lame on the left fore she has had  several months box rest in and out on a small paddock in the field purely for her sanity , she went back into the RVC last week but now has to be referred to a surgeon  ,so worried if she will ever be sound again .


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## Geminismum (20 April 2014)

shirleytwixie said:



			Hi I am going through the same problem my horse diagnosed with callateral ligament damage on left fore it was on both legs but one has healed well  about 99.9% but is still very lame on the left fore she has had  several months box rest in and out on a small paddock in the field purely for her sanity , she went back into the RVC last week but now has to be referred to a surgeon  ,so worried if she will ever be sound again .
		
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My girl has done her collateral ligaments and moderate navicular disease by MRI. Vet advised box rest and heart bars but I don't believe in shoeing or box rest. She's only 3 so with the consent of my vet I've sent her to Rockley Farm for barefoot rehab. She's due to come home in a couple of weeks and although I know I've got work to do at home I believe she is on the right path. It's not for everyone but might be worth looking into..


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## shirleytwixie (22 April 2014)

Hi thanks for that the surgeon is calling me this week I have turned her out in a small paddock and she is so much happier ,I spoke to my farrier and he is going to take the shoes of says I am  my just over a third into the healing process as can take 18 myths, she is due in at the royal vet college on the 8th but I am no sure what to do at the moment .


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