Stress or injury can take its toll on any horse. When lameness occurs, a prompt lameness examination can save you time, money, and frustration by diagnosing and treating the problem immediately. Early treatment may also help prevent further damage from occurring. The goal is to keep small problems from becoming big ones. Abraham’s Equine Clinic is equipped with many tools to aid in diagnosing and treating equine lameness. Lameness exams are performed either outdoors or in our indoor arena.
A horse is considered lame when there is any alteration in normal gait. Lameness can also be manifested in such ways as a change in attitude or performance. Lameness in the horse is usually caused by pain due to an injury or musculoskeletal abnormality. These abnormalities can be caused by pain in the neck, withers, shoulders, back, loin, hips, legs, or feet. Lameness is most effectively treated if a specific diagnosis can be determined.
The Lameness Examination
· A medical history is obtained to try to identify possible reasons for the lameness
· A passive examination is performed to evaluate conformation, balance and weight bearing of each limb
· Palpation of muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and bones is performed to look for evidence of heat, pain or swelling
· Hoof testers are used to apply pressure to the soles of the feet to check for sensitivity or pain
· The horse is evaluated in motion to look for shortening of the stride, irregular foot placement, head bobbing, stiffness or weight shifting, all of which can help identify the location of the lameness
· Flexion tests are performed to help isolate the region causing the horse pain and lameness
Diagnostic Tests
· Nerve and joint blocks
o Blocks are used to systematically anesthetize or numb areas we suspect may be causing lameness to help us pinpoint exactly where the pain is originating
· Radiography (digital and computed radiography)
o Radiographs are useful for diagnosing and monitoring damage or changes to bony tissues (i.e. arthritis, OCDs, fractures)
o Radiographs can be easily burned onto a CD or emailed to clients, farriers or other veterinarians
· Ultrasonography
o Ultrasound is useful for diagnosing and monitoring damage or injury to soft tissue structures such as ligaments and tendons
Treatment Options
· Joint injections (neck, hip, leg, etc)
o Injecting joints with corticosteroids, hyaluronate or polysulfated glucosaminoglycans can help to decrease pain and inflammation in joints as well as to help to restore the normal joint environment
· Legend
o Legend is used to treat synovitis associated with osteoarthritis by decreasing inflammation and destructive enzymes associated with inflammation in the joint
· Adequan
o Adequan can be useful for stimulating cartilage repair and reversing traumatic joint dysfunction
· Stem cell therapy
o Stem cell therapy utilizes stem cells from your horse’s own body tissue to help improve arthritis and tendon and ligament injuries
· PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma)
o PRP is derived from your horse’s blood and contains numerous growth factors to aid in decreasing inflammation and speeding healing in equine tendons and ligaments
· Extracorporeal shockwave therapy
o Shockwave therapy is used to help hasten the healing time of tendon and ligament injuries and to stimulate bone remodeling
· Mesotherapy
o Mesotherapy helps to break the pain cycle that can be associated with chronic neck and back pain by stimulating the mesoderm, or middle layer of the skin, with a series of tiny injections along the sore area
· Surgery
o Simple surgical procedures can be performed at Abraham’s Equine Clinic to help treat a variety of lameness issues (i.e. neurectomy, desmotomy, tenotomy)
o More major surgical procedures (i.e. arthroscopy) can be referred to Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine Large Animal Clinic or another referral hospital
