What is the prognosis for a bowed tendon?
There are many factors to consider when assessing a tendon injury and giving a prognosis for return to athletic use. “Moderate” is in the eye of the beholder, and what may be considered mild for one type of horse could be quite severe in another. In general, I take in to account the age, breed, body type, use of the horse, and how the injury occurred. When evaluating the ultrasound, factors such as size, severity, and location of the lesion are important as well as additional factors such as concurrent injuries and health conditions (for example, older horses with cushings disease tend to heal soft tissue injuries more slowly). While sufficient rest and careful return to exercise are the only “treatments” that I consider absolutely essential, there are several additional therapies available that may accelerate healing and lead to a stronger finished product. This includes shockwave therapy, surgery, intralesional injection of bone marrow, a-cell, stem cells, platelet rich plasma and ot
