# Shock wave therapy doesn't seem to be working



## samleigh (20 July 2015)

Diagnosed Suspensorys and Sore sacroiliac, she's had steroid injections, bute x 2 weeks and 2 x SWT, we are due back for 3rd session of SWT on Friday but tonight as I went to bring her in, she's been on TO through out treatment, her RH buckled twice in trot as she came to me, over about 30mtrs, so she's obviously still in pain! 
She was never obviously lame, just this buckling in trot occasionally and a reluctance to jump and always landing disunited. 

Would you save your insurance money ? £298 per SWT treatment, already spent just under £2k of £4k, vet is recommending a neurectomy next if this treatment didn't work &#128543;&#128549;&#128533;

I have probably read far too much on this procedure, and now just confused, my initial worries are box rest, she won't take it calmly at all & no other horses live in at our small DIY yard at this time of the year. 

How did you manage box rest with a easily stressed horse? Would anyone else recommend the neurectomy or any other options ????

Feeling really low tonight, for the first time it feels never ending!


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## Fun Times (20 July 2015)

Hi I don't have any answers I'm afraid but wanted to show my support and sympathy. Am in a similar boat with a horse with SI joint issues. He has had two sets of injections and shockwave treatment. I remain unconvinced. Fingers crossed mine doesn't have suspensory issues so the neurectomy thing hasn't been on my radar. Given that I have been underwhelmed thus far with the treatments given, I would want to be quite sure the outcome had a high chance of being successful before subjecting my horse to prolonged box rest (he is a mega stress head). There are "box rest" yards you could consider sending him to if you did go down that route altho they would probably be v expensive. Good luck, I hope you have a positive outcome.


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## soulfull (21 July 2015)

I feel your pain.   My Welsh mare has just been diagnosed with exactly the same. 
To make things worsebive been through the surgery with a previous horse whom I ended up losing. 
My mare has had sacrolliac injected and we are hacking out twice a day  for 10m and walking in hand over poles. 

The surgeon has said it's quite bad and he want to do surgery soon.  But because of her type can only offer a 40-50%  that's why we are doing this first. 
Our next step may be shock wave

I just dont know what to do either.  But I have been told to only turnboutbin a 10mx10m paddock 

I think your going to struggle with up to 3 months box rest. 
I know i will and my mare is usually fine,  but 3months!!


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## Goldenstar (21 July 2015)

For box rest you will need to provide an environment with company in a stable next to her all day .
Best work out how your going to do that now .
The time on box rest actually in my experience does not matter it's the first bit that's hard once they realise that's it this is my life you just keep going I had one in the nine months .
There's an art to doing box rest well .
You need time and people about and it's very very time consuming .
If your away working all day you are going to have to get people to help if you did morning and evenings I would be wanting two periods of time spent with the horse during the day .
I spilt the day up Into activities and do them at the same time .
Grooming , a  equissage session , passive stretching ( although this might be inappropriate in this horses case ) I feed lots of different types of forage , hay haylage alfalfa hay bloks  plain chopped straw and I also always feed a really good balancer and a little linseed .
I play a radio all day , I never give toys I have tried it and it IME just makes them fractious I also never give those horrid sugary licks as I think their just horsey junk food .
Also google equine criss cross system this might be another way forward but you would need to be using it summer when its dryer .


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## Jazmyn101 (21 July 2015)

I know it's not quite the same but when my mare fractured her sesamoid and had suspensory damage the vets were going to use shockwave. She was originally on box rest for 3 months which was quite horrendous but she did get use to it (stressy horse), then back to vets for a check up where there was an improvement. Back on box rest for another 3 months and back to vets and no improvement/ very slight and they said they will need to consider shockwave theraphy next. Back on box rest for 2 months but I started feeding the supplement 'msm' by NAF and bought her a pair of magnetic boots which she wore for about 3 hours every day? Back to vets and she was sound! Brought into work and have had no problems since she came back into work about 6/7 months ago? I don't know whether it was the boots and supplement or she just needed box rest but I would recommend it as I was out of all ideas, hope it works out for you!

Supplement link: http://m.rideaway.co.uk/naf-msm

Boots link:
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnetic-Th...-Earth-Magnets-Lilac-/271644549516?nav=SEARCH


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## samleigh (22 July 2015)

Thank you everyone  
Goldenstar, thank you for the check list!
I am hoping that box rest will be 1 month & a further month of very limited turnout, a friend has offered her horse for night time approx 6pm - 7am, I will obviously do all mucking out & pay for hay.
Other liveries approx 4/5 have offered there horses for day time & the livery next door has offered her empty stable for them all to stay in, so hopefully on a rota system I should be able to provide her with company 24/7.
I can provide a radio..
I can provide different hay types, I have some of last yrs hay and new hay & will get her some hay blocks to nibble on. 
Realistically I can visit her 3 x per day..early morning, after work 3.30pm and do a evening visit after tea 7pm ish. 
I have a equissage & she does enjoy a good scratching session & with a good groom each day I can hopefully give her something different a few times a day! The only other negative I have is she has a limited view of the outside world our stables are in a large barn, I can open the end doors as far as they will go but its not a direct view for her. 
My other option is take them to a friends home, who has a spare stable with an outside views, she has 2 mares and would allow me to rota them, it would be extremely quiet there, also it would be much easier to do very small individual turnout!
Which do you think would work best??? Never ever done box rest before :-(


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## HeresHoping (22 July 2015)

I have PM'd you.


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## lori ann (22 July 2015)

Hi Samleigh  so many people in the same position we are one of them with our five year old.  We are taking the conservative route for rehab and using a Arc equine machine. Have not bothered with the SW as only 20% chance of working it is not worth the money better saving it for the op if required. I have found a very good discussion group through Face Book it is a PSD Group and well worth joining so much support and information on there and we have found someone local to us who is going through the same thing . All the best take time to make decisions .


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## BethH (5 August 2015)

Can I just say what a fabulous yard you must be stabled at - what a bunch of supportive & kind liveries.  And as an aside I have been hearing lots of interesting snippets about the arc equine unit too.  I investigated one for my horse when we couldn't work out what was wrong.  It seems to be a very useful piece of kit and you can rent one, might be worth a google.


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## samleigh (5 August 2015)

BethH said:



			Can I just say what a fabulous yard you must be stabled at - what a bunch of supportive & kind liveries.  And as an aside I have been hearing lots of interesting snippets about the arc equine unit too.  I investigated one for my horse when we couldn't work out what was wrong.  It seems to be a very useful piece of kit and you can rent one, might be worth a google.
		
Click to expand...


They are a fabulous bunch, they really really are, I've cried, talked rubbish, sent plan zzz1a2b past them for their opinions, they've lent me there horses so I can get my riding fix..it really is a wonder they are not running the other way when they see me LOL!


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## applecart14 (5 August 2015)

It didn't work for my horse after his accident when he got his foot caught in a wheelbarrow. There was a bit of cartligage floating around his leg and the vet felt this was causing his problems.  He had three lots of shockwave but in the end my physio used LW ultrasound and this helped as well as pulsed magnetic therapy.

I've heard a lot of cases where it hasn't worked on horses so you are not alone.  A lot of people say neurectomy's are cruel, etc but don't get caught up in other peoples opinions, go with your gut instinct and the recommendation of your vet (after all they are the ones that know your horse best).

Box rest is best tackled by keeping the horse busy (doing little).  Lots of little haynets spread out around the stable, a big clump of earth with grass on top, a rag tied to the stable bar (to tug on), apples left floating in his water, pony nuts in a treat dispenser, carotts and apples cut up minutely and hidden in his net/bed, radio left on for company to a chat show, lots of small feeds (divide his one or two main feeds into four or five smaller ones) a lickit hanging from the centre of his stable, a piece of bark for him to chew on, a swede hung from teh centre of his stable.  There's loads of things you can do to make life a little more interesting for him.


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## criso (5 August 2015)

I've had shockwave done twice (on front suspensory and back ). It helped with the back, horse was much more comfortable after, the suspensory not sure in that the horse recovered but may have done anyway. 

However £298 per session seems very expensive, I've paid between £60 and £80.   I had to add call out to that but that be a shared one and sedation which was about £15


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## applecart14 (6 August 2015)

I'm sure Bailey's treatment for shockwave was £70 each.


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