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Post by Corey on Apr 24, 2011 15:05:41 GMT 10
Hi Tom
What do I need to be feeling for in regards to a stopper bone injury. what are the treatment options and time frames.
My dog has a little swelling and is walking fine
Cheers in advamce
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Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 24, 2011 16:51:16 GMT 10
Hi Corey,
While I don’t wish to worry you, the truth is that any injury to the stopper bone can quickly become a race career threatening injury.
Swelling around the stopper bone can mean anything from fluid draining down from an injury higher on the limb, to a partially torn flexor tendon. Swelling in this area is generally not that severe, and I have seen several greyhounds with a chipped stopper bone due to tendon damage, and in some instances it was hard to pick that the dog was even lame.
In reality any swelling in this area should be checked by a greyhound Vet, and could possibly require an X-ray to correctly diagnose the extent of any damage.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Corey on Apr 24, 2011 17:22:39 GMT 10
What is the time of rehab for these injuries and what are the success rates.
The boy has shown some good signs early time wise
Thanks Tom
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Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 24, 2011 18:45:14 GMT 10
Hi Corey,
Recovery time depends entirely on the type of injury, and what needs to be done to repair it, and the Vet is still the best person to judge recovery time.
Worst case scenario, if it is a flexor tendon, you looking at around 8 weeks. However, it may just be strained ligaments and be back running in 2 weeks.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Corey on Apr 24, 2011 19:52:24 GMT 10
Hi Tom
Thanks for the advice, will let you know after I have xray done on wednesday (Thanks to the Public Holidays)
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Post by Corey on Apr 28, 2011 12:08:30 GMT 10
Hi Tom
Just had xray no bone damage , Vet is suggesting just general soreness . Best news Ive had for a while
Cheers Corey
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Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 28, 2011 16:08:59 GMT 10
Hi Corey,
Mate I'm so glad to hear that, with wrists and hocks you simply can't take chances and any swelling needs to be thoroughly checked out.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Corey on Apr 29, 2011 8:10:03 GMT 10
Hi Tom
Im planning on swimming for a couple of weeks and than puthim into work. The Vet told me that I could continue working him just monitor soreness. Im thinking erring on the side of cautious and swimming to limit the jarring action on his sore area. Is this the correct thing to do/
Thanks again
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Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 29, 2011 10:59:57 GMT 10
Hi Corey,
It takes about 10 days with treatment such as Bone Radiol twice daily for five days for ligament strain to come good, and swimming during this time is a great way to maintain lung and heart fitness.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by rayjones on Jul 11, 2011 22:41:21 GMT 10
Tom,
How would you best treat a cracked stopper bone injury ?
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Post by Tom Meulman on Jul 12, 2011 7:06:35 GMT 10
Hi Ray,
A fractured stopper bone is an extremely severe injury, and the ability for the dog to recover fully and get back to racing again depends entirely on the severity of the fracture, and other associated damage.
In many instances the fracture also involves damage to the ligaments of the wrist and to the flexor tendons, and/or a bone chip breaking away.
If X-rays have shown that it is a simple fracture with no bone displacement, magnetic field treatment daily for 4 weeks and a further 4 weeks rest may see the dog back able to gallop again.
On the other hand if there is any bone displacement or bone chips it will require an operation to remove any small chips of bone, and to stabilise the fracture. In this situation the chances of having the dog return to racing without any loss of speed are only 50%.
While blistering is normally recommended by many whenever bone fractures are involved, in my honest opinion using a blistering type of liniment in the first instance for this type of injury will only cause excessive enlargement of the fractured bone, and will limit wrist flexion in the long term.
Therefore this is best left until all of the initial healing has taken place, and then used to strengthen the whole of the area as a final treatment.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by rayjones on Jul 12, 2011 9:09:01 GMT 10
Hi Ray, A fractured stopper bone is an extremely severe injury, and the ability for the dog to recover fully and get back to racing again depends entirely on the severity of the fracture, and other associated damage. In many instances the fracture also involves damage to the ligaments of the wrist and to the flexor tendons, and/or a bone chip breaking away. If X-rays have shown that it is a simple fracture with no bone displacement, magnetic field treatment daily for 4 weeks and a further 4 weeks rest may see the dog back able to gallop again. On the other hand if there is any bone displacement or bone chips it will require an operation to remove any small chips of bone, and to stabilise the fracture. In this situation the chances of having the dog return to racing without any loss of speed are only 50%. While blistering is normally recommended by many whenever bone fractures are involved, in my honest opinion using a blistering type of liniment in the first instance for this type of injury will only cause excessive enlargement of the fractured bone, and will limit wrist flexion in the long term. Therefore this is best left until all of the initial healing has taken place, and then used to strengthen the whole of the area as a final treatment. Cheers, Tom Tom, You would do the magnetic therapy for 4 weeks then the blistering afterwards ? Cheers Ray. |
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Post by Tom Meulman on Jul 12, 2011 9:50:05 GMT 10
Hi Ray,
That would definitely be the best way to go, as the magnetic field treatment will assist the bone knitting cleanly, and then the blistering will toughen the whole area up including ligament and tendon attachments.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by rayjones on Jul 12, 2011 20:18:46 GMT 10
Cheers pal.
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Post by Corey ODonnell on Oct 8, 2011 3:36:26 GMT 10
Hey Tom just an update my friend, The dog that had the stopper bone injury went alright yesterday. Little bit of patience goes a long way. We infact that out that it was referal pain to his stopper bone region from a dicky shoulder we've finally fixed it and he really opened up quite good as you will see in the video below www.thedogs.com.au/resources/show....11007155602.mp4Cheers Corey |
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Post by caroline fielding on Jun 21, 2012 7:14:58 GMT 10
Hi Tom What do I need to be feeling for in regards to a stopper bone injury. what are the treatment options and time frames. My dog has a little swelling and is walking fine Cheers in advamce hi tom i hope I'm not intruding on somebodys space, but its the only way i could manage to ask a question..... i have a problem with a dislocated stopper bone....its back in place now so I'm wondering whats the best treatment from here on in... . thanking you in anticipation....# Caroline |
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Post by Tom Meulman on Jun 21, 2012 13:27:44 GMT 10
Hi Caroline,
I’m sorry but I have real difficulty imagining how a stopper bone (Pisiform) could dislocate without significant damage to the tissues that hold it in place.
The stopper bone has a strong fibrous band called the Annular Ligament that runs across the back of the wrist attached to it. There is also a very strong ligament that runs from the stopper bone to the 5th Metacarpal, as well as a strong joint capsule where it connects to the carpal bones.
It is therefore extremely difficult to give advice as to how best to proceed from here without a thorough examination to see exactly what damage the dislocation has caused.
I can only assume that the wrist has been X-rayed and that there is no actual bone damage, and would be inclined to advise you to follow the guidelines provided by the Veterinarian that diagnosed the injury in the first place.
However, to strengthen ligament damage to an area such as this, blistering may be the only option, and may possibly strengthened it enough for the dog to be able move comfortably again.
Blistering is achieved by gently applying a blistering agent such as 10% iodine to both sides and to the underside of the stopper bone, taking in the back of the wrist on both sides of the stopper bone, and to an area about 25 mm below the stopper bone.
This is applied every second day for four applications (i.e. one day rest between applications). The first application is applied through the hair to the skin, while subsequent applications are done by simply wetting the hair, as these application will easily penetrate to the skin.
Care must be taken that if the area swells up with fluid, that no further applications are done untill the swelling has subsided, and that at no time the blistering is allowed to procede to the point of causing abrasion to the skin, or of hair falling out.
While very few dogs would be inclined to lick the area where the blister has been applied, they should certainly be discouraged from doing so, and in no instance should the area be bandaged.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by chris on Feb 19, 2013 2:56:09 GMT 10
hi tom my greyhound has a chipped metacarpul bone injury wich ive been treating with fen she stuff and has grown half back and stopped is there any thing else i could try as the dog is a great racer and want to give him every chance.
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Post by Tom Meulman on Feb 19, 2013 4:30:51 GMT 10
Hi Chris,
Unfortunately this depends greatly on the exact location of the injury, the size of the chip, and what ligaments, if any, were damaged.
While the Chinese liniment is OK for minor injuries, a more aggressive treatment such as blistering, or treatment with a pulsed magnetic therapy unit may be required to initiate a further healing response.
All the same it is important to make certain of what stage of healing the injury is at before commencing further treatment, and as such an X ray and the advice of an experienced Veterinarian should be sought.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Ray Jones on Aug 23, 2013 19:11:12 GMT 10
Hi Tom,
Am after a bit of advice about this problem.I have just had a new 2 1/2 year old dog come into the kennel his race form is pretty good but on examination he has had some serious issues with his left stopper area in the past,there is marked scar tissue and thickening around the bone and tendon area,I would guess the area is 25% bigger than on the other foot,he only raced 10 days before he came to me so I am sure it is quite old,I just wondered what would be the best way to manage the site of the injury,the usual flexation of the wrist and some sort of stimulation oil ?
Cheers
Ray
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