Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Management of Primary Injuries of the Medial Collateral Ligament of the Carpus in Two Horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of equine veterinary science
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Quiney, Laura et al.
- Affiliation:
- Centre for Equine Studies · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report talks about two horses that had injuries to a ligament in their front legs, which is not a common cause of limping. Normally, these types of injuries don't heal well with just rest and basic care, but both horses were treated with a mix of rest, controlled exercise, and a special type of laser therapy. Thanks to this treatment, both horses were able to return to their previous levels of competition—one in high-level dressage and the other in beginner eventing. While the results are promising, it's not clear if the laser therapy made a significant difference compared to just a regular rehab program. Overall, with the right care, these types of ligament injuries can have a good outcome.
Abstract
This case report describes the successful management of two horses with medial carpal collateral ligament injury. This is a rare cause of forelimb lameness and existing reports indicate a poor prognosis for return to athletic function with conservative management. Both horses were treated with a combination of box rest with controlled exercise and high-intensity laser therapy (HILT). Both horses returned to previous athletic function, one at Grand Prix level dressage and one at Novice level eventing. With appropriate management, the prognosis for carpal collateral ligament injury may be good. From this report, it is unclear whether a rehabilitation program including HILT offers improved prognosis compared with a rehabilitation program alone.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32067669/