What is the prognosis for kissing spines? In my opinion if we have a case of significant bone reaction along with kissing spines then the benefits of chiropractic may be minimal and possibly counter productive; however, acupuncture or mesotherapy can reduce the pain and dysfunction. Shockwave therapy: Focuses waves of energy at the pain points to stimulate healing naturally.
Later on, while asking for a trot or canter during your warm-up, that sweet gelding has a complete meltdown and you wind up on the ground, asking yourself what the heck has gotten into your once mild-mannered steed. Horse Property for Sale. What Horses May be Affected by Kissing Spines. However, I grew up riding in a discipline where "correct" positions are not always conducive for long-term soundness. It is extremely boring to take it this slow. Place a Free Event Listing. One of these conditions is kissing spine, which is a bit of a misleading name since it has nothing to do with the level of affection between two horses! Horse strength training has shown promise in reducing lameness caused by various types of arthritis in laboratory studies. In most horses you can feel the tops of the spines as you touch the groove in the back. It seemed unlikely that after years of working with professionals that a podcast would lead me to the answers I was looking for, but it did. Kissing spine is sometimes referred to as dorsal spinous process impingement syndrome. However, it can occur along the entire length of a horse's back. Using exercises that help to build core strength and ones that allow the back to lift are the main concepts. And in early studies looking at post-mortem examinations, evidence of overriding dorsal spinous processes were reported in as many as 83% to 92% of horses.
You can see the nice, evenly spaced areas between the spinous processes. It could be genetic or just the way they are born. After nearly five months of correct lunging (a year-and-a-half post-op), my horse was strong enough to ride again! 11] This solution numbs the pain sensors in the back and will relieve some symptoms of kissing spine. Each vertebra has a bony prominence that sticks up—the spinous process. However, it may be possible to sell a horse with kissing spine if you can find a buyer willing to take on the responsibility of caring for the animal. Kissing spine is a condition in horses where the horse gets poked by his own backbone when he shifts their weight. Radiographs alone are simply not enough. ISLD does not cure kissing spine, but it does minimize symptoms and allow the back to move comfortably during rehabilitation. Slowly but surely, it all came together.
I sold a very well bred 3 year old who had a blown vein from some extensive medical treatment. This group concluded that radiographs of the back should not be included in a standard pre-purchase protocol at all. Can't get anyone to even look at him because he has had the KS surgery. This subreddit is for all horsepeople, horse lovers, and fans of equestrian sports. Even if kissing spines are detected, it's important to remember that they don't always cause pain, so they may not be the source of the problem. Signalment – or age, breed, gender – is also critical to forming a diagnosis. Large head in relation to their body. If kissing spines is suspected, X-ray is the best way to confirm their presence. One of the first surgeons to publish information on the procedure and results was Dr. Richard Coomer from Cotts Equine in Wales. Back pain in horses can be complex.
Faster down payment for a house would be great but if not he'll have a place in my trailer until he no longer wants to go. So, first, you need the best saddle pad for kissing spine horses that give your horse comfort. Your horse may show pain when his back muscles are examined or resent being asked to flex and extend his back. Assessing rider weight and balance. Place a Services Provided Ad. Young, gorgeous, working a fabulous pattern, ready to be entered and asked for speed, and priced CHEAP for being an own son of Frenchmans Guy X Corona Cartel mare.
After all, when your back aches, giving a piggyback ride isn't likely to be on your list of things you'd like to do. Horses are most commonly diagnosed around 5 to 10 years of age, but younger and older horses can develop it, too. I don't want to go through the constant worry again. In the last year, they have seen a spike in the number kissing spine horses that receive after-care at the facility and McCorkle expects that number to rise even more. Kissing spine is NOT a career ending diagnosis. It is, however, a bloody surgery due to the vascular location of the area to be cut.
Interspinous ligament desmotomy is a much less invasive procedure that can be performed standing and has a reported success rate as high as 92%, making it a promising option for severely affected horses. For example, a two-year-old racehorse with five "kissing" spinous processes that can no longer be saddled without pain might be managed differently than a six-year-old dressage horse with subtle performance issues and one narrowed interspinous space. Another option is to perform an interspinous ligament desmotomy (ISLD) in which the interspinous ligament(s) is cut to relieve tension on the ligament. The left side of the image starts with the withers and moves down the back to the right showing the lower back. There are several options that can help to reduce pain and which one is chosen depends upon the degree of pain, severity of the problem, and type and level of work expected from your horse. Corticosteroids2||Helps to reduce inflammation through a synthetic version of cortisol, a naturally occurring substance that helps the body respond to stress|.
There is room for flexion and stretching. He was not using himself correctly and I would come to that realization too late.