How long does it take for a deep digital flexor tendon to heal?
How long does it take for a deep digital flexor tendon to heal?
How long does it take for a deep digital flexor tendon to heal?
DDFT injuries can sideline horses for varying amounts of time. If your horse has a very mild strain, he may be back in work in six to eight weeks. For a tear, think months – it’s not uncommon for horses to be laid up eight months or more. Doing too much, too soon, is a recipe for reinjury.
What causes deep digital flexor tendon injury?
Cause: uncertain in many cases but includes exercise, fatigue, degenerative changed with age, direct trauma +/- infection, pathology in other structures such as the digital sheath (DFTS) and carpal/tarsal sheaths is common and can have a direct affect on the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT).
What does the deep digital flexor tendon do?
As a result the horse has very long flexor tendons, of which there are two — the superficial digital flexor tendon, which has most of the spring-like function, and the deep digital flexor tendon, which serves more of a positional and supportive role for the foot (see diagram, below).
What are 2 clinical signs of a tear in the superficial digital flexor tendon in horses?
Clinical signs of superficial digital flexor tendinitis are swelling behind the cannon bone, heat, pain upon touch, refusal to switch leads, and lameness within two to three days following the injury (LLC, HorseDVM). Lameness exhibited can be moderate, transient, or intermittent.
What is the digital flexor tendon?
The digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) is a synovial cavity occupying the distal third of the palmar metacarpus/plantar metatarsus and the palmar/plantar pastern, to the level of the middle phalanx.
Can a flexor tendon heal without surgery?
Tendon Healing Because the cut ends of a tendon usually separate after an injury, a cut tendon can not heal without surgery. Your doctor will advise you on how soon surgery is needed after a flexor tendon is cut. There are many ways to repair a cut tendon, and certain types of cuts need a specific type of repair.