Name
|
Age
|
Type
|
Job
|
Tom
|
12
|
Connemara
cross
|
Pony
Club/ Allrounder
|
Tom: Interspinous Ligament Desmotomy
Tom was diagnosed with kissing spine
after diagnostic tests were carried out when Tom’s behaviour started to
deteriorate. It was found that Tom had impingement of three of the dorsal-spinous processes in the thoracic region and the decision was made for him to
undergo interspinous ligament desmotomy surgery.
Tom initially started his treatment at
home with two weeks box rest and half an hour walking in-hand twice daily. Tom
then had his stitches taken out and arrived at Moulton Therapy Centre in March
2019 where we met him for the first time and were given the lowdown on his
wound and how he had recovered so far.
He also had his very first session walking on the aqua-treadmill just
for ten minutes, and he took to it really well.
Tom continued to walk on the aqua
treadmill for a few days a week following a programme designed by our Hydrotherapist Dr Jessica York where the duration and water depth were
gradually increased as Tom’s strength and stamina improved. Two weeks into Tom’s rehabilitation programme
a bridle and roller was introduced; there was clearly no negative
association to wearing tack on the aqua-treadmill or on the lunge, therefore to
create a soft and elastic contact a bungee was added encouraging him to work
long and low and help build up the correct muscles. Tom was walked in large
circles over poles on the lunge every day and small paddock turnout was also
introduced for limited periods of time.
Six weeks post-surgery Tom started
trotting on the aqua-treadmill for a few minutes in a low depth of water, which
was built up over the next week to a total of ten minutes. It was clear that
Tom was stronger and more balanced and took it all in his stride; he was
forward and relaxed and clearly enjoyed his work.
The use of the aqua-treadmill has been very
beneficial in Tom’s rehabilitation as it has allowed Tom to work symmetrically
under supervised and controlled conditions. It effectively works as a full body
workout and improves suppleness through the back. As the water is made deeper,
stride length is increased and stride frequency is decreased therefore allowing
a greater range of motion enabling muscle tone and core strength to be
improved.
After a four week stay at Moulton Therapy Centre Tom returned to his owner to continue his rehabilitation programme, he settled back in at home immediately and was assessed by his Vet who was happy with his progress and how well the wound site had healed. Tom can now resume work on the lunge walking and trotting over raised poles, and a saddle can now be introduced and work under saddle can begin. He will also look forward to enjoying full day’s turnout. We look forward to hearing about Tom’s progress and are excited for his future!
