EQUINE CASES
Inferior Check Ligament Desmitis
Dr. Tim Ober | John R. Steele & Associates
9 years old KWPN Mare, jumper, last shown in 1.15m
Pulled shoe LF in the paddock on 7/10/2021. Both clips in her foot and walking lame. Client packed the foot and treated with Bute. While improved, she remained lame at the trot. The LF and LH swelled within two days, appearing like cellulitis. The swelling had been steadily improving.
EXAM FINDINGS
First Exam: 7/17/2021
- Walking sound but 2/5 LF at the trot. No elevated pulse.
- LF and LH limbs swollen with what appeared to be cellulitis but had steadily improved.
Second Exam: 7/19/2021
- Mild swelling of the LF mid tendon area persists.
- No heat or pain on palpation.
- LF lame 1/5 in a straight line and on a circle.
- Under tack 3+/5 on the circle to the right, slightly better to the left but significantly more lame under tack than in hand.
- Diagnostic block LF high PDN positive, significantly better to the right but still some lameness to the left.
Ultrasound Exam: LF Inferior Check Ligament Desmitis
TREATMENT
7/22/21
LF carpal sheath was injected with Hyaluronate and Triamcinalone. After treating the carpal sheath the leg looked better for a week then started swelling again.
8/10/21
Recheck ultrasound showed LF ICL desmitis to be more significant than at first exam, with heat and soreness on palpation. Treatment options were discussed.
8/27/21
Treatment: Ultrasound guided injection LF ICL with Regenaflex.
8/29/21
Bandage was removed, the LF leg was about 50% smaller than before the injection of the ICL. No heat or pain on palpation.Follow up ultrasound on 9/16/21 showed significant improvement.
Left: taken 8/10/2021 before treatment.Right: taken 9/16/2021 after treatment.
Left: taken 8/10/2021 before treatment.Right: taken 9/16/2021 after treatment.
Inferior Check Ligament Disruption
Dr. Beau Whitaker | Brazos Valley Equine Hospital
A 1300 lb Paint gelding named “Goose” used for competitive trail and halter presented on May 7, 2020 for a 4/5 lameness on the RF with marked swelling of the palmar proximal metacarpus.
EXAM FINDINGS
Ultrasound examination showed a diffuse anechoic to hypoechoic disruption of the inferior check ligament from zones 1A through 2A.
TREATMENT
Goose was stall rested and was placed in a cold salt water spa twice daily for one week. NSAIDS were not administered.
Regenaflex was injected via ultrasound guidance into the anechoic portion of the disruption on May 14, 2020.
Hand walking was initiated daily once he was comfortable moving at a walk. RLT laser therapy was performed twice a week for 4 weeks following the amnion injection.
On June 25th Goose had improved to a slight lameness in a straight line trot on the RF limb and aquatread exercise was initiated twice weekly for 2 weeks and then increased to 3 times weekly.
On July 30th Goose was sound and ultrasound of the inferior check ligament showed significant healing and organization. Goose was placed into controlled exercise in saddle with a gradual increase in work.
He has been shown successfully multiple times since July and remains sound.
Regenaflex-RT Soft Tissue Therapy
Left Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon Lesion
Dr. Heather Sherman | John R. Steele & Associates
19 year old pony treated only with Regenaflex-RT.
Client Constraints: able to do only one treatment with no adjunctive treatments.
All therapies were considered: PRP, stem cells, shockwave, laser, etc. With primary considerations being effectiveness and risk of causing more damage, Regenaflex was decided on as the best choice.
Treatment: Early Feb 2022 – 1 dose of Regenaflex; no other treatments.
Post Treatment: Hand-walked for 30 days and then turned out in a small paddock.
See video for full details.
Results: Rechecked at the beginning of August 2022 and was shocked by new scan. The leg had no profile to it, the lesion had filled in really nicely, the fiber pattern was pretty uniform with the rest of the tendon.
“This was kind of a slam dunk case… We were pessimistic about the long-term prognosis given the pony’s age. This case study really sold me on the product because it was such a positive result in a case that probably shouldn’t have had such good results.“