Tendon, Ligament and Soft Tissue injuries in horses

These injuries tend to form a number of stages in the healing process, the first stage tends to last somewhere between a 7 to 10 day period after the injury has occurred. Generally there will be heat, swelling and pain at the point of the injury. There will also be surrounding swelling to the existing injury. The second stage generally lasts somewhere between 10 and 21 days at this time there will be ingrowth and the cells begin to produce ground substance. In connective tissue, the ground substance, also called extrafibrillar matrix, which is an amorphous gel-like substance surrounding the cells, is formed by the non-fibrous components of the extracellular matrix. 

In a tissue, cells are surrounded by an extracellular matrix, which acts as a support for the cells. Ground substance traditionally does not include fibers (collagen and elastic fibers), but does include all the other components of the extracellular matrix.

The general course of action for veterinary treatment with soft tissue injuries will be a combination of cold hosing the damaged area and administering anti-inflammatory drugs. There have also been the use of chemical blistering or pin firing, this supposedly is to help increase circulation to the damaged area. Very often horses with soft tissue injuries tend to be rushed back before they are ready to resume work, it is very likely in these cases that horses will re-injure themselves. Because, most horses being treated by veterinarians are only visited on a semi-regular basis there is great responsibility for the horse owner. As a complementary practitioner I have successfully treated many tendon/ ligament and soft tissue injuries. There is no doubt that a veterinarian must always be contacted to ensure that the diagnosis is correct, once you have a confirmed diagnosis then there are several options available to you for treatment. I highly recommend working with your vet and integrating complementary treatment along with conventional treatment, this has proved to be the most successful option for horse owners. It is not only successful but also a lot safer for the horse’s health and well-being.

There has been a great deal of development and research into treatments for tendon and ligament damage these can include a highly developed armoury of powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, intra-lesional therapies, surgery, and additional therapeutic options, as well as well-planned and carefully monitored rehab-fitness programs.

The use of shockwave therapy,hyperbaric oxygen therapy, cold laser and magnetic field therapy are other forms of treatment. ‘Steven Thom, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Environmental Medicine has shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy mobilizes stem cells and increases the production of growth factors and signal proteins in the bone marrow that stimulate and support the healing processes.

Conventional rehabilitation training programs concentrate on increasing training slowly and building strength, monitoring with an ultrasound on a regular basis is recommended. However as we are well aware all horses are individuals and therefore may require some alterations in the rehabilitation program. The most important part of treating tendon, ligament or soft tissue injuries is to manage pain and healing and to ensure the correct amount of rest; this can be achieved very efficiently by using a combination of a number of modalities. All in all it would be expected that most horses can return to work after 8 to 12 months from a tendon or ligament injury.

Injury such as a hamstring strain may only take a short time to heal in comparison, perhaps somewhere between 4 to 8 weeks. I use a recommended program to treat tendon, ligament and soft tissue injuries which has achieved a very high success rate. 

For further information on managing this type of injury please contact me on (03) 9775 6422 or email me antoinette@hiform.com.au Copyright 2014 Antoinette Foster.

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