Hock injections how long result

The inner membrane of the joint, which produces the viscous fluid that fills the joint, becomes inflamed. The fluid, which lubricates the cartilage surfaces, becomes thin and watery.

Cartilage is squeezed and starts to wear away, and lumps of new bone growth appear where bones are irritated. This commonly happens first at the inner aspect of the lower hock, where the small tarsal bones are compressed. Bone spavin, as this condition is called, often affects both hocks, but it's usually worse on one side.

Once bone spavin appears, it won't go away. But if you catch the degenerative spiral early, you may be able to manage the condition and slow its progression. The goal is to reduce inflammation in the joint, which in turn reduces pain and joint degeneration. What you do depends on how advanced the condition is, how sore your horse is and how demanding his work is. Changes in his management and training program can help.

Increase his turnout time, so he can move around at will. Cut back on the amount of intense work you do, especially work that stresses the hocks, and give him longer warm-ups. Light activity helps by improving circulation to the hock's soft tissues and by keeping joint fluid moving, which nourishes cartilage. Talk to your vet and farrier about shoeing changes? Sometimes it helps to increase hoof angle by raising the heel or shortening the toe.

Avoid heel extensions, where the backs of the shoes are extended, and especially outside trailers, where the outside extension turns out.

Extensions affect the path and landing of the foot, and that can put uneven pressure on the hocks. If symptoms flare up, rest and cold hosing or other cold therapy can help.

But soreness often returns when the horse goes back to work, and long-term treatment with NSAIDs may have harmful effects. There are better options, some new and some tried and true. Targeted Treatment Joint injection is probably the most widely used and effective treatment for a horse with clearly identified problems in his lower hock joints. The injection puts anti-inflammatory agents directly into the space between the bones of the sore joints.

Corticosteroids and HA: Typically, joint-injection agents are corticosteroids, which have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. They're used alone or in combination with hyaluronic acid HA , a natural component of cartilage and joint fluid it's the substance that makes the fluid viscous. Here's what to expect:.

The initials stand for interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein, a substance derived from the horse's own blood. IRAP targets an inflammatory substance, interleukin-1, that plays a key part in the erosion of cartilage. The therapy has been around only a few years, but it's available at a growing number of clinics.

These are the basics:. Great, lets do that! Unfortunately these injections do not improve the joint environment long term. Also because the results are shorter lived this type of treatment quickly leads to maintenance schedule injections. When the cartilage in the joint is exposed to steroid repeatedly the blood supply to the cartilage decreases and it becomes less healthy. In many ways it is a self perpetuating cycle.

Next we can inject with Hyaluronic Acid and steroid. This type of injection addresses the quality of joint fluid and therefore tends to have longer action but is also more expensive.

This type of joint injection is more appropriate for athletes in most cases but still should not be considered maintenance because repeated exposure to steroid is still not good for the long term health of the joint.

Effectiveness of any treatment depends on the disease progression and on how long the horse has been symptomatic, says Snyder, so discuss options with your veterinarian—especially if you wish to compete, as some substances and modalities are restricted or prohibited.

But if you find that your horse needs increasingly frequent hock injections just to keep performing, then it may be time to reconsider, he says. Your goal: a healthy, happy horse that can comfortably manage the demands of dressage. Veterinary medicine has made remarkable advances in diagnosing and treating disease, but good horsemanship and thoughtful management remain the cornerstones for keeping our horses healthy. The other is surgery, using a laser or a surgical drill, he says.

Now as owner of All in Stride Marketing, she helps small businesses with their marketing and content needs in addition to writing for publications. Sign in. Log into your account. Forgot your password? Homepage — Full Post Featured. Password recovery. Recover your password. Friday, November 12, An analgesic pain killer was administered along with the sedative to reduce discomfort during the procedure, and 2 grams phenylbutazone was administered intravenously to reduce discomfort over the next hours.

No more medication for discomfort is required. Please do not bathe your horse for 24 hours following the procedure. Although the inject portals seal very quickly, we request that they not come in contact with water for at least 24 hours, as this may increase the chance for contamination.