I just recently found out my mare has kissing spine and I have looked through a lot of the old threads to see what people have done. I have noticed a lot of people have done surgery but I would like to use that as a last resort.
I have talked to a couple chiropractors who have suggested it can be managed by stretching and exercises but I'm curious how many people have had luck with that alone?
I tried the steroid shot and did not notice any difference so just trying to find another option instead of surgery.
The docs at Rood and Riddle told me that a chiro cannot "work out" KS. I've had luck with the injections. My mare is 19 and I won't do surgery on her either. There are ceratin stretches that they say helps. There's a group on FB that deals with Kissing Spine, I would search that for more info from gals who deal with this on a daily basis. Lots of dressage horses have KS.
Chiro doesn't fix KS but I think it is crucial in the management as they tend to over compensate and it is important to be keeping them in-line when working hard on their topline. I have noticed it was more important in the early stages. The exercise I have been doing seems to be keeping him in a good place. Last adjustment was VERY minor compared to after he was 1st diagnosed.
Posted 2016-06-23 8:08 AM Subject: RE: Kissing Spine
Expert
Posts: 2604 Location: Texas
I would think it would depend on just how bad the Kissing Spine is, how many spinous processes are touching. Only way to know is x-rays. I had the surgery done on mine and he is like a new horse. There is no way chiropractic adjustments, massage or stretching would have helped mine.
Posted 2016-06-24 10:29 AM Subject: RE: Kissing Spine
Member
Posts: 43
TBone - 2016-06-23 8:08 AM
I would think it would depend on just how bad the Kissing Spine is, how many spinous processes are touching. Only way to know is x-rays. I had the surgery done on mine and he is like a new horse. There is no way chiropractic adjustments, massage or stretching would have helped mine.
Do you mind if I ask how much the surgery cost. I'm from Montana and we don't have a lot of vets close that do that kind of surgery that I know of. I had xrays done and they are overlapping in some places. The vet told me he would consider her a 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Kissing Spine
