( rehabilitation )
Rehabilitation of Horses by Sally Hodgson
BSc (Hons), MA, VetMB, Cert AVP (EM), MRCVS photos courtesy of Fiona Elliott MRCVS of Radway Equine Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation:-
- to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work - to restore to good condition, operation
Any rehabilitation programme will depend on the severity of the problem from which the horse is to recover, and the time for which the horse has been out of work with that problem. A severe or long-standing problem such as a tendon injury or colic surgery will take much longer to recover from than an uncomplicated wound or foot abscess.
Basic principles
To begin a rehabilitation programme, structural and functional integrity must be present. It is no good starting to apply load to a structure that isn’t going to stand up to the forces it has to withstand, such as a damaged tendon, or a joint that isn’t capable of a reasonable range of motion. As well as addressing the current problem, it is important to look at the whole horse and deal with any concurrent problems. For example, a horse with a check ligament injury in a forelimb will struggle to make a good recovery if it is overloading the forehand to compensate for arthritic hocks, or if it has poor foot balance. The best outcomes are achieved when the owner, vet, farrier and physiotherapist all communicate and work together to ensure no stone is left unturned. Setting up a group WhatsApp is a really simple way for everyone to keep informed about progress!
Start slowly
The horse has to be able to walk before it can run! Just as when we bring a hunter back into work after its summer holiday, it is essential to start with small amounts of low-intensity exercise and build up gradually. If we overload the compromised structure or system before it is ready for a higher level of work, there is a real risk of re-injury or relapse, sometimes even resulting in permanent damage and limitation of future performance. The majority of any rehabilitation programme is usually both boring and time-consuming – but it can’t be rushed if the outcome is to be optimised!
As the horse progresses through the programme, the duration, intensity and difficulty of the exercise undertaken will increase. Only one of these should be increased at once! In some cases the duration will actually need to be decreased to allow an increase in intensity (e.g. working at a faster pace) or difficulty (e.g. walking over poles).
Things To Remember!
The cardiovascular system and muscles respond rapidly to training, and will maintain their fitness during a month of rest. Hoof, bone, cartilage, ligaments and tendons take months to adapt to training, and rapidly lose these adaptations during periods of rest. Progressing too rapidly risks causing overload injuries to supporting
tissues.
A damaged ligament (check ligament, suspensory or collateral ligament) will take a minimum of 6 weeks to heal properly. A damaged tendon may take even longer depending on the severity of damage.
Maintaining progress
Muscles that are working harder than they are used to can become fatigued and sore, causing the horse to begin to move abnormally to avoid movements that are uncomfortable – this is called compensating. Compensating also leads to sore muscles, and means that the horse is unable to work correctly and build muscle and strength in a functionally normal way. Regular physiotherapy during a rehabilitation programme helps to maintain normal muscle function and can flag up when a horse is compensating, so that any residual underlying problems can be identified and managed appropriately.
Monitoring
It is very important to monitor a horse as it progresses through its rehabilitation, so that any sign that things might not be going as expected can be picked up early before it has a chance to become a major setback. Your vet will know what to expect during recovery – periodic re-examinations are necessary to make sure that everything is as it should be. How often this needs to be done will depend on the problem being managed.
End point
Do we ever really stop rehabilitating a horse after injury? Yes, sometimes! But some problems, such as sacroiliac injury may require on-going management to prevent a recurrence of the original problem. Others, such as a removing a bone chip from a joint, can usually be considered to be ‘fixed’ once the horse is sound and back in a reasonable level of work. Other problems may develop as a result of a medical problem. For example, a horse that has had an upper respiratory infection will sometimes become sensitive to dust, and need to be kept in a minimum dust system to prevent signs of equine asthma.
Post-illness – Equine Influenza
A horse that has had any respiratory infection should be rested for 1 week for every day of fever. Returning a horse to exercise too soon after a respiratory challenge can damage the respiratory system and cause a chronic (or permanent!) cough. Inflammation in the airways can persist for quite some time after a viral infection. If in doubt – wait!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sally Hodgson BSc (Hons), MA, VetMB, Cert AVP (EM), MRCVS
Sally qualified in 2007 and has worked in equine practice ever since, joining the Hook Norton Veterinary Group in 2010. She completed her Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in 2016, which is a modular, online, post-graduate certificate that covers all aspects of Equine. Sally is also the practice represen- tative on the XLEquine Executive Board. Sally has two spaniels, Spudge and Evie, and a driving pony, Ivor.
76 MARCH/APRIL 2019 For the latest news
visitwww.centralhorsenews.co.uk
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