How do I know if my horse has a kissing spine?

How do I know if my horse has a kissing spine?

Symptoms of Kissing Spines in Horses

1. Avoidance behaviors.
2. Inability to bend direction.
3. Cross cantering.
4. Abnormal gait.
5. Difficulty maintaining a correct canter.
6. Pain in the back region.
7. Attempting to bite as girth is being tightened.
8. Not willing to jump.

Can kissing spine repair?

There are currently two surgeries available to correct kissing spine. The first, called a bone shave procedure, is designed to remove and shave down some of the bony spinous processes, as well as clip the ligaments, to allow more room and movement for the vertebrae.

Can horses be born with kissing spine?

Kissing spine is thought to be the most common cause of back pain associated with horses. Similar to arthritis, the underlying cause of kissing spine is not fully understood. The condition can occur in all breeds and more commonly in horses over 5 years of age.

Is kissing spine degenerative?

While the exact cause is not known, kissing spine is associated with degenerative changes in the spine, many of which are caused by the natural process of aging. Baastrup’s syndrome may be caused by disc degeneration—as the discs wear down, it can cause the adjacent spinous processes to meet.

How do you rehab a horse with a kissing spine?

Quite simply a small circle around a cone or block in walk, with long reins and lots of inside bend. This stretches the outside of the body and helps the horse to let go of his lateral back tension. Don’t insist, encourage. Relax, wait and repeat until his head drops and he bends more freely and regularly.

How is kissing spine diagnosed?

Radiographs (X-rays) are commonly used to diagnose kissing spines. However, it is important to perform a thorough clinical examination and not just rely on X-ray analysis. Thermography, which uses an infrared camera to detect heat patterns, has been shown to be informative in some cases.

How long is recovery from kissing spine?

After any kissing spines surgery, Dr. Davis will put the horse on stall rest for two weeks until the sutures come out and the incision is healed. Then he’ll start the horse on a regimen of stretching for two weeks.

What causes kissing spine in humans?

Should you ride a horse with kissing spine?

The presence of kissing spines is not necessarily a cause for concern, but it may be considered as a predisposing factor for back pain. The majority of affected horses that exhibit clinical signs are able to return to work with medical or surgical treatment and physical therapy.

Can kissing spine come on suddenly?

Symptoms may sometimes show up suddenly, even though the kissing spines have probably been there for a while. For Kepferle, a sore back—along with difficulty bending—had been Anakin’s baseline since she bought him, including the tightness and spasms. But behavior issues simply didn’t come up.

What is Bastrop disease?

Baastrup disease/syndrome (also referred to as kissing spines) is a cause of low back pain characterized by interspinous bursitis and other degenerative changes of the bones and soft tissues where adjacent spinous processes in the lumbar spine rub against each other.

What is kissing spine in humans?

Baastrup Syndrome or Kissing Spine Syndrome is a relatively common medical condition of the vertebral column where the spinous processes of the two adjacent vertebrae come in contact with each other resulting in back pain.