Muscular Dysfunctions Affecting Performance

8year old Hanoverian Cross, Whizz had been suffering from a slight lameness and suspected back issues for some time. Owners Abby & Dawn called Equiscan to look for more information that may assist their treatment plan.

Symptoms and history:

• Two years ago horse came up lame on front left leg.
• Front right leg then came up lame, steroid injections were administered to coffin joint and horse came sound (three months later).
• Lameness is slight but can be a problem during competitions as it is appears to be spontaneous.
• Recently horse has not been moving well behind and won’t bend though her back. Muscles on right side of back are not as developed as the left side.
• Owner believes that she puts more weight to the back right leg whilst riding 

Aggravating aspects: Training
Investigation so far:  N/A inconclusive  

We found  thermal asymmetries over the left side gluteal and lumbar regions which are likely to correlate with reported symptoms. Muscular inflammation is seen extending over the left side gluteal region and also over the left side lower lumbar region. 

See next thermogram for clear inflammatory patterns.

Muscular inflammation is seen extending over the left side gluteal region. Grey scale isolates primary concern.

We also found a hyperthermic pattern in the right lateral neck which appears confined to the right side ventral serratus cervicis. There was also no thermal indication of dysfunction in the right front foot or lower leg.

Although a low cervical joint problem cannot be ruled out entirely, the current findings appear more consistent with a muscular or musculoskeletal dysfunction.

We found no indication of poor saddle fit but thermal findings of saddle supports a generalized compensatory effect. There may be guarding of the left side of the back.