To inject or not to inject the sacroiliac joint - HELP!

[lohsela]

I have a dilemma here! Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. My TB Gelding is 8 years old and just really trained well enough to be competitive. I noticed a few months back (like 6 months) that he's been dragging his right hind a little... and not all the time, but it's there and when I think about it, it's kind of always been there. My horse is very spoiled, he gets regular acupuncture and chiro treatment every 8 weeks plus I had my saddle custom fitted to him so I know that's not the problem... so anyway, at his last chiro appointment with my vet I had him do a lameness exam in which is flexed fine on the right hind. We did the flexion test twice and he was fine the first time and just "little" off the second... but nothing major. The vet said it's not his hocks for sure but he thinks that it's the SA joint and he can do that injection. SO, I don't really want to do anything that expensive and possibly dangerous unless I know he really needs it... and he's NOT lame so does he really need it? Plus, my horse is just learning his changes and is getting the left to right change really well, but struggles a little with the right to left change... again, it's "a little" like if I was forced to say one is better then the other. He is also stiffer to the right and reluctant to bend around my leg thru the corners... ANYWAY, with all the said what do you think? Please let me know your experiences or anything...

Thanks so much! :)

[purplnurpl]

how did he flex on the left hind?

usually, for example, if you have issues going right and you though it was the right ligament of his SI then he would flex poorly on the left hock.
SIs are tricky. And there is too much there to say, ok, inject.
If it's the joint that is one thing. But most times its the ligaments.
You'd need a bone scan or something.

So pretty much, more diagnostic work is needed to determine the issue.

[spoiledsweet]

If you trust your vet, who has presumably been seeing the horse regularly for chiro appointments and most recently worked him up, I'd follow the vet's advice. After all, you paid for his opinion, right? If your vet is good with the needle I don't see why it would be a problem. I've had one get an SI injection and it helped that horse a great deal. On the other hand, if you're not entirely sure you trust this vet's opinion in this case and are concerned about your horse, get a second opinion.

[Glorybee]

I just had some similiar issues with my ottb. I chose to do the SI injection, and I 'm pretty happy with it. Same thing with my mare, not lame, but had some uneveness, and seemed stiff in the left hind. My trainer had not seen her in a month and was very happy with her performance. I asked if he noticed a change, and he said he didnt' notice anything at all - which is a good thing. If you can afford to do it, and it will make your horse more comfortable, then try it. It may even make those changes easier! Good luck!

[Dune]

I had a horse with the same symptoms as yours. Joker of a vet recommended SI injections and since they're supposed to know more, I went along. There was no improvement. I called in another vet who agreed with me that it was the right stifle, not the SI. We did IM estrone injections weekly for a month and conditioning, that took care of it. :yes: May or may not apply to your case, just for consideration.;)

[EqTrainer]

And on top of what Dune said, I recently had a horse who presented with both SI and stifle symptoms and it was his TROCHANTER instead.

[purplnurpl]

And on top of what Dune said, I recently had a horse who presented with both SI and stifle symptoms and it was his TROCHANTER instead.

How the heck did you figure that one out?

[bt]

I'd say no. Has the horse been seen by an equine massage therapist? In people tension in glutes, quads, hamstrings can all cause pain in/around the SI joint actually I think it is a more common cause of "low back pain" than what people think of as thier "low back" muscles. Just a thought, but it could be any one of the numerous muscles that originate or insert around the "SI area"/trochanter.

[dbts]

I had a positive experience injecting the SI joint with a horse displaying similar symptoms. It takes a skilled vet to get the direct spot. I will also add doing both sides turned out to be the most beneficial. Each case is different. Good luck.

[EqTrainer]

How the heck did you figure that one out?

Heavy anti-inflammatories and turnout in a large, flat field with a friend who would not play...

once the SI and stifle shook out, his posture was still NQR. I did mobility PT work on him until I isolated the place that kept rebounding after his posture was manually corrected.. it was his trochanter. When palpated from a certain direction, it was sore. It did adjust at one point and that helped, but more of the same treatment along with more mobility PT seems to have fixed it.

We will inject it before he goes to work in the spring but as long as he continues to improve, not before then.

FWIW the horse was never lame, but his stifle was locking and he was standing in a roachy, tucked up position.

[lohsela]

I'd say no. Has the horse been seen by an equine massage therapist? In people tension in glutes, quads, hamstrings can all cause pain in/around the SI joint actually I think it is a more common cause of "low back pain" than what people think of as thier "low back" muscles. Just a thought, but it could be any one of the numerous muscles that originate or insert around the "SI area"/trochanter.

Ah! This is what I am thinking too... it could be anything, right? He gets chiro and acupuncture and I was thinking of adding massage... I've contacted the massage therapists in our area and they say they have experience with this type of issue... My other question is, does he really even need "treatment" per say... could it be something like a strengthening issue? :confused:

[candico]

Might look into doing Serapin(sp?) and mesotherapy. It is less invasive and less costly. I think our vet/chiro did a combo of serapin, cortisone, and lidocaine as well as the mesotherapy.

FWIW

[Watermark Farm]

My horse has a *suspected* SI injury now, and is dragging a hind leg. I had the massage therapist out last week, and she reminded me how important it is to consider muscles in lameness. Muscles comprise a huge portion of the entire body. It's good to consider all the parts, not just the joints and ligaments.

Also, I'm learning that SI injuries start out as on/off NQR-ness that can be overlooked, then progress into more serious lameness, as was the case with my horse.

Can't someone just teach these horses to TALK? It would save so much time and money!