What happens if you damage your suspensory ligaments?

What happens if you damage your suspensory ligaments?

Damage at the proximal part or top of the suspensory ligament invariably causes lameness — varying from mild to severe — which, if the horse rests, can improve rapidly. The lameness tends to be worst when the horse moves in circles with the affected limb on the outside.

Can a horse recover from a ligament injury?

Tendon and ligament injuries do heal on their own, and rest remains the best home treatment. Left-to-heal structures, however, are more prone to re-injury and likely to get re-injured. To preserve your horse’s performance future, you can turn toward treatments aimed at improving the healing process.

What does a hind suspensory injury look like?

With a torn suspensory branch, you may see swelling at and above the fetlock on the injured side and the area may be warm to the touch and sensitive to pressure. When the outside branch is torn, lameness may be more obvious when the horse travels with the injured leg on the outside of a circle.

What helps tendons and ligaments heal faster?

Continued

• Stretching and flexibility exercises to help the tendon heal completely and avoid long-term pain.
• Strengthening exercises to help you rebuild tendon strength and avoid future injuries.
• Ultrasound heat therapy to improve blood circulation, which may aid the healing process.

Can a horse survive a ruptured ligament?

In addition, tendons and ligaments have poor blood supplies. A severe tear will take longer to heal than a mild one, and a 20-year-old horse may heal more slowly than a 5-year-old. Typically ligaments heal a bit faster than tendons but you’re still looking at nine to 12 months for all but the mildest of these injuries.

How do you prevent suspensory ligament injuries in horses?

How can you minimise the risk of injury?

1. Take care not to overpush or overproduce paces.
2. Build cross-training and core muscle development into the training programme — but avoid overrepetition of exercises when a horse is tired.
3. Be vigilant for signs of back pain and schedule frequent and correct evaluation of saddle fit.

How can I speed up ligament healing?

A typical plan might include:

1. Stretching and flexibility exercises to help the tendon heal completely and avoid long-term pain.
2. Strengthening exercises to help you rebuild tendon strength and avoid future injuries.
3. Ultrasound heat therapy to improve blood circulation, which may aid the healing process.