Surgical treatment for kissing spine (interspinous ligament desmotomy) requires extended rehabilitation. Understanding the recovery process and welfare considerations guides post-operative care.
Post-surgical recovery from kissing spine surgery creates a welfare period requiring careful balance between therapeutic exercise and pain management. The controlled rehabilitation program — progressively increasing exercise while protecting the healing tissue — benefits from adequate pain control that enables compliance and prevents compensatory movement patterns. Extended box rest, while sometimes medically indicated, carries its own welfare costs through boredom, social isolation, and stereotypy development that appropriate enrichment and social contact can mitigate. The welfare investment of thorough rehabilitation, guided by equine physiotherapy assessment, significantly improves the probability of successful return to work and long-term soundness — outcomes that serve both horse and owner.