Ever dealt with this injury?

[Stacie]

Horse must have fallen and sort of done "the splits" in front, at least on the right side. Tore a muscle in his "armpit" and got a fist sized hematoma on the inside top of leg that took at least 2 months to resolve. He wants to stand with his right foot turned out at an angle and if forced to use the leg correctly (through controlling the angle at which he breaks over) he will be sore on it. It has been 8 months. He has been sound if buted before riding.
2 vets have taken a look at it but i haven't done any kind of imaging.
Just wondering if anyone has dealt with this and how long it took to resolve, it ever.

[siegi b.]

In my opinion you're shooting in the dark without radiographs. Trying to guess what your horse's problem is won't do him any good.

[YankeeLawyer]

Stacie,

You might consider taking him up to the Spurlocks in Waterford; they are very good leg vets, or to Morven for diagnostics.

[JB]

If you haven't at least done ultrasounds, if not also xrays, then you don't really know what you're dealing with.

If you've done those things and know for sure it was only a muscle injury, then I'd be all over finding a really good massage therapist who has experience rehabbing from injuries.

In the meantime, regardless, since it will benefit you for all your horse-owning/riding days, get Jack Meagher's "Beating Muscle Injuries in Horses" - it's invaluable.

Muscle injuries can take a REALLY long time to heal.

[Stacie]

Not sure why my post suggested I didn't know what the injury was. We know what the primary injury is, even without imaging. Granted there could be other related injuries in there, but it's a very difficult area to image.
I posted to get personal experiences with those who had dealt with this type of injury. It's not too common and even the vets don't see a lot of it.

You know how some people get a rotator cuff injury and heal completely and others have pain and reduced movement for the rest of their lives but the doctors can't necessarily tell you which one you are going to be?

Well, that's sort of where we are with this guy.

JB, what sort of time frames are usually associated with muscle injuries?

[BEARCAT]

Did the "hematoma" become very hard?

Just wondering because my horse had a fist size hard bump under his armpit that turned out to be Pigeon Fever (as diagnosed by ultra sound at the vet clinic). It was there for a very long time...

[Stacie]

Did the "hematoma" become very hard?

Just wondering because my horse had a fist size hard bump under his armpit that turned out to be Pigeon Fever (as diagnosed by ultra sound at the vet clinic). It was there for a very long time...

It was definitely fluid from the injury above. Interesting thought, though.

[JB]

Not sure why my post suggested I didn't know what the injury was.
Maybe because you said
but i haven't done any kind of imaging.

;)

One can easily see what is likely the major issue, but without any sort of xray or ultrasound, you can't know there aren't other sub-issues.

You know how some people get a rotator cuff injury and heal completely and others have pain and reduced movement for the rest of their lives but the doctors can't necessarily tell you which one you are going to be?

Well, that's sort of where we are with this guy.
I know the feeling - it's all about tendon/ligament/muscle makeup and what, *exactly* happened to it and related structures. Some people are more naturally limber than others. Some inherently stronger. It's all sorts of things.

JB, what sort of time frames are usually associated with muscle injuries?

Well, it depends on how many muscles were involved and the intensity of the injury. I've pulled hamstring muscles before, and it took months to heal, and that was just a pull, not even a major tear. Total separation of muscles can take many, many months, even a year or so, to heal.

You may still have healing going on - he's functional, but sore. Has there been any sort of PT going on? My first post still stands - if muscles aren't actively worked, and that means some stretching as well, once the acute phase is over, then there can be adhesions and knots that form along the way, and those can really impede the healing process.