Pelvic Room Problem Solving
Here are some hot topic issues found, and treated, with pelvic rooms:
Gelding Scars:
Did you know 1 in 3 geldings have a restrictive scar, lingering from castration? During castration, sometimes the semen chord does not recoil enough through the inguinal canal, which causes an adhesion, at the inguinal canal. This creates a ventral, medial pull on the semen chord, restricting the hip, and L1-3 vertebrae in the spine causing further issues with the sacrum and ilium. A lot of these geldings will have issues with overall hind end weakness, trouble gathering or collecting, cross firing, etc. During the pelvic room, the vet works, and stretches the adhesion. This can be done any time, one month post castration, to prevent hind end issues down the road!
Ovary & Uterus Restrictions:
When a mare cycles, their ovaries must exo-rotate (move up and out). If they lose the ability to move, they will not cycle correctly. It is common that the ovaries will lose the ability to return to their normal position, and become restricted and wrapped up in the surrounding tissues and ligaments. Foaling and other traumas can cause this as well! Often these mares are moody, and struggle with hind end stiffness, sometimes even hormone imbalances. During the pelvic room, the vet works to mobilize the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes.
Splenic Disorders:
We can detect disorders of the spleen through pelvic rooms as well. Congestion is one thing that I have found often. We frequently use an herbal flush, called “Stage 1”, to remove toxins from the spleen, and increase the blood flow through it. When a spleen becomes congested, the blood does not flow in and out like it should. It becomes heavy, creating a ventral fascial pull on the spine and left SI joint, increasing the pain and immobility of the innervating spinal segments. The spleen is also connected to the left kidney, through the nephro-splenic ligament, so, if the spleen sits ventral due to congestion, it will inevitably have a ventral pull on that kidney as well. In the past, the vets I work with have also detected structural damage and pathologies to the spleen through rectal palpation.
Renal Disorders:
Often, we will find a bladder that is shifted off the medial line, that can be brought back to normal position. Sometimes it can even be adhered to the pelvic floor. Problems with the micturition reflex of the bladder, can normally be detected through palpation. The ureters can also become restricted, which can lead to toxin build up in the kidneys. One thing we see in particular that happens with geldings, is that gelding scars can cause congestion on the left kidney. On the left side only, the semen chord loops over top of the ureter. The gelding scar (restriction at the inguinal ring) will have a ventral, medial pull on the semen chord AND the ureter. This will cause a decrease in function of the left ureter leading to congestion in that kidney. Every time the horse breathes, the kidneys should move 4cm (1 spinal segment). Horses take approximately 20,000 breaths per day. With that being said, even with a slight restriction, think about that loss of mobility affecting their stride!
