How Your Veterinarian Can Help with Sweeney Shoulder
Does your horse's shoulder look unusually bony? Sweeney shoulder could be the reason. The condition occurs when a damaged nerve in the shoulder causes muscles to shrink. Fortunately, your veterinarian offers treatments that will help protect your horse's muscles while allowing the nerve to heal.
What Is Sweeney Shoulder?
Your horse's brain controls movements by sending a signal through the nerves to the muscles. Damage to a nerve stops the signal from reaching a muscle or reduces the signal strength. As a result, the muscles don't receive the information they need to move normally.
The suprascapular nerve controls two muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. If the nerve is damaged or pinched, these muscles begin to weaken and shrink. As a result, the scapula, or shoulder blade, becomes more prominent and the area around the shoulder hollows out.
As the muscles weaken, your horse's shoulder joint becomes unstable. Instability may cause the shoulder joint to pop out to the side, particularly when walking. The painful condition changes your horse's gait and can cause lameness or toe dragging. If the Sweeney shoulder worsens, muscles in the upper leg may also shrink and weaken.
Sweeney shoulder was more common years ago when horses plowed fields and pulled wagons. Poorly fitting harnesses and saddle and hours of hard work increased the risk of nerve damage and Sweeney shoulder symptoms.
Harness and saddle issues can still cause Sweeney shoulder today, but the condition may also occur due to trauma. Your horse could develop the condition if it runs into a fence or is kicked by another horse. Does your horse participate in events or jumping? The repetitive movements used during these activities could compress and irritate the suprascapular nerve causing Sweeney shoulder.
How Do Veterinarians Treat Sweeney Shoulder?
Prompt treatment is essential if you suspect your horse may have Sweeney shoulder. Treating the condition as soon as possible reduces the risk for permanent damage to the nerve and prevents further muscle loss and weakness.
Your veterinarian will examine your horse's shoulder, evaluate its gait, and may order X-rays or other tests to confirm the diagnosis.
If your horse has Sweeney shoulder, these treatments may be helpful:
- Stall Rest. Stall rest gives your horse's body a chance to heal. Although stall rest is helpful at first, spending too much time confined to a stall could worsen stiffness.
- Medication. Anti-inflammatory medication relieves pain and reduces swelling around the suprascapular nerve. Your veterinarian may also use corticosteroid injections to decrease inflammation and swelling.
- Electrostimulation. During this treatment, a gentle, alternating electrical current is applied to your horse's shoulder. The current improves muscle tone and keeps the muscles strong while the nerve heals.
- Physical Therapy. Physical therapy involves exercises and stretches that prevent stiffness and improve muscle flexibility and strength during the healing process. Massage may also be used to relieve stiffness and improve blood flow. As your horse's condition improves, more strenuous activity will gradually be introduced.
- Surgery. If other treatment options aren't helpful, surgery may be recommended. The procedure removes scar tissue or bone pressing against the nerve.
Although these treatments can improve the health of the nerve and muscles, changes to the shoulder's appearance may be permanent. According to PetMD, about 80% of horses with Sweeney shoulder improve without surgery, although it may take up to a year before the horse regains full use of the shoulder.
Is your horse suffering from a shoulder issues? If it's been more than a few days since you noticed the problem, get in touch with our office.
Sources:
Texas A&M University Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: The Rundown on Equine Shoulder Sweeney, 3/5/2020
https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/the-rundown-on-equine-shoulder-sweeney/
Merck Manual: Disorders of the Shoulder and Elbow in Horses, 2/2025
PetMD: What Is Sweeney Shoulder in Horses?, 1/26/2024
https://www.petmd.com/horse/conditions/musculoskeletal/sweeney-shoulder-horses
American Quarter Horse Association: Sweeney Shoulder Explained, 4/10/2018
https://www.aqha.com/-/sweeney-shoulder-explained
Kentucky Equine Research: Sweeney in Horses: What Is It?, 6/14/2012