Intra-articular injection in horses involves the administration of therapeutic agents directly into a joint space. This technique is used to manage joint diseases, such as osteoarthritis, by delivering medications like corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid, or biologic therapies directly to the affected area. The procedure aims to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, and improve joint function. Intra-articular injections are commonly performed under sterile conditions to minimize the risk of infection. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methods, efficacy, and safety of intra-articular injections in equine medicine, as well as their impact on joint health and performance in horses.
Wagner AE, McIlwraith CW, Martin GS.Orgotein was injected into the right intercarpal joint of each of 8 horses; the corresponding left joint was left alone (not injected) or was given an injection of normal saline solution. Injection with orgotein caused a transient, marked inflammatory response, evidenced by clinical signs and by increased leukocytes and total protein in the synovia (synovial fluid). Leukocyte numbers and total protein concentration were increased (P less than 0.010) in the orgotein-injected joints within 24 hours. However, saline solution alone also elicited a marked inflammatory response, manifested by increa...
Nizolek DJ, White KK.Degenerative arthrosis is perhaps the most common debilitating disease of performance horses. Treatment should be based upon a knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of normal joints and upon an understanding of the processes of degeneration and repair. These topics are briefly reviewed. Although rest is probably, the most beneficial therapy, physical and pharmaceutical treatments are often employed in an effort to speed recovery. The effects and relative benefits of intrasynovial injections of corticosteroids, hyaluronica cid, and Arteparon are considered in detail. Although local corticoste...
Sack WO, Orsini PG.One hundred three equine hocks, obtained from the postmortem room, were used to study the communication and injection of material into the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints. Excluding the hocks with fused central and 3rd tarsal bones, in 8.3% of hocks injected with low (clinical) pressure and in 23.8% injected with high pressure, the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints communicated by dissection of the material through 2 internal spaces: the tarsal canal and the space between the combined tarsal bones 1 and 2 tarsal bone 3. A "pop" sometimes felt when high pressure was us...
Gingerich DA, Auer JA, Fackelman GE.A single intra-articular injection of 20 or 40 mg of purified hyaluronic acid of rooster comb origin resulted in restoration of normal joint function in horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis. The functional improvement, measured by pressure sensitive force plate techniques, was detectable within one week after treatment and persisted throughout a four week experimental period despite continued use of the joints. The response was dose dependent in that injection of 0 (saline), 5 or 10 mg hyaluronic acid per joint space resulted in no significant change in joint function while dosage...
McIlwraith CW, Van Sickle DC.Arthritis was experimentally induced in the intercarpal joints of a series of mature ponies by the intraarticular injections of 400 microgram of the polyene antibiotic filipin in 1 ml of dimethyl sulfoxide. Twelve consecutive weekly injections were administered and the ponies were euthanatized 4 weeks after the last injection of filipin was made. The ponies were exercised for 1 hour each day throughout the experiment. Articular cartilage specimens from 4 sites in each intercarpal joint were examined histologically and histo-chemically. For the histochemical examination, safranin O-fast green, ...
Irwin DH.Thirty seven intra-articular injections, each 2 ml sodium hyaluronate were made into 21 arthritic joints in 15 racing Thoroughbreds and one part-bred polo pony. One joint failed to improve at all, 16 became sound with one injection, 4 became sound with 2 injections, and 11 joints showed various degrees of response. Eleven of 14 horses became sound for flat racing. Discussion relates to the technique of using sodium hyaluronate, some clinical and pathological aspects of traumatic arthritis, joint lubrication and a brief review of some properties of sodium hyaluronate which have a bearing on art...
Arnoldi CC, Reimann I, Mortensen S, Christensen SB, Kristoffersen J, Sønnichsen HV, Smith M.Six metacarpo-phalangeal joints of adult horses were studied. Pressure measurements were made in the joint and the metacarpal bone with simultaneous measurement of the systemic arterial blood pressure. Investigations performed to study the effect of joint position on juxta-articular bone marrow pressure showed that an increase in joint flexion was always followed by a rise in intraosseous pressure with a significant increase at flexion above 60 degrees. Increase in intra-articular pressure which was achieved by injection of saline was always followed by a slower rise in intraosseous pressure. ...
Owen RR.Physiologic features of the equine diarthrodial joint and the effects of intra-articular corticosteroid therapy were investigated. It was concluded that intra-articular injection of corticosteroids may be beneficial when lesions are confined to soft tissues of the joint, excluding injuries involving joint laxity. Rest following therapy is important.
Auer J.Degenerative joint disease is the most frequently diagnosed problem of the carpus. Horses afflicted with this disease should not be injected with corticosteroids, but should be rested for several months. Swimming exercise and intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid during this time help to restore the integrity of the involved joints. Chip fractures of the various carpal bones and the distal radius are commonly diagnosed as the cause of the lameness. Not all horses with carpal fractures are candidates for surgery. It is important that the severity of the problem be realized and that the ...
Auer JA, Fackelman GE, Gingerich DA, Fetter AW.Effect of intraarticular injections of hyaluronic acid was evaluated in two groups of horses, using force plates to assess quantitatively the degree of lameness observed. In six horses, chip fractures were created surgically on the dorsomedial aspects of both radial carpal bones. After the horses were trained for 30 days, 40 mg of hyaluronic acid was injected intraarticularly into the limb showing the greater degree of lameness. Horses were worked for 2 more weeks and then were evaluated. A highly significant (P less than 0.01) increase in weight bearing on the treated limb was observed. Ten h...
Coffman JR, Johnson JH, Tritschler LG, Garner HE, Scrutchfield WL.Fourteen horses (7 treated with orgotein and 7 treated with a placebo) with navicular disease were studied on a double blind basis. All 14 horses had clinical and radiographic evidence of navicular disease. Orgotein and the placebo were administered by juxtabursal injection. Of the 7 orgotein-treated horses, 3 responded but none of the 7 placebo-treated horses responded. The difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.05).
Ahlengard S, Tufvesson G, Pettersson H, Andersson T.A total of 134 horses of various breeds were treated for aseptic arthritis of traumatic origin using Orgotein (Palosein). The drug was injected into 192 affected joints of these animals. Recovery rates of 94 per cent were recorded in cases which had shown lameness for less than 2 months before treatment commenced and 49 per cent in those lame for longer than 2 months.
Chapman DI, Whiteside J.A radioimmunoassay method has been developed that enables the administration of therapeutic doses of synthetic corticosteroids to be detected in horse urine. Fourteen proprietary preparations of these steroids have been given by intramuscular injection to ponies and thoroughbreds. The administration of some preperations could still be detected six days after a single intramuscular injection of a therapeutic dose. The route of injection of dexamethasone-21-sodium phosphate, whether intramuscular, intravenous or intra-articular, did not appear to alter the length of time over which the steroid o...
Tobin T, Blake JW.Since procaine has both local anaesthetic and central stimulant actions its presence in the blood or urine of racing horses is forbidden. After rapid intravenous injection of procaine HC1 (2.5 mg/Kg) in thoroughbred mares plasma levels of this drug fell rapidly (t 1/2 alpha = 5 min) and then more slowly (t 1/2 beta = 50.2 min). These kinetics were well fitted by a two compartment open model (Model I). This model gave an apparent Vdbeta for procaine in the horse of about 3,500 litres. Since procaine was about 45% bound to equine plasma protein this gives a true Vdbeta for procaine of about 6,50...
McKay AG, Milne FJ.A project to determine if intraarticular corticosteroid therapy was deleterious to the racing Thoroughbred was carried out in the 1971, 1972, and 1973 racing seasons. Of 22 horses available for follow-up examination, 6 had radiographic evidence of deterioration; 1 of these was destroyed because of probable corticosteroid-induced arthropathy. The remaining 16 horses did not have any evidence of deterioration. One of the 16, a stakes winner, had been given 12 injections into the left front fetlock during the 3-year period. It was concluded that if proper and careful aftercare is adhered to, intr...
Asheim A, Lindblad G.Forty-five race-horses with arthritis of non-in-fectious type in 54 joints were treated with sodium hyaluronate intra-articularly. All joints had previously been treated without lasting success by conventional methods, such as firing, blistering or intraarticular injection of cortisone. In most cases only 1 injection of 2 ml (20 mg) sodium hyaluronate was needed. To avoid subjective evaluation, the effects of the treatment were based on the joint’s capacity of withstanding extreme stress, which means that the horse should be able to train and race again. The treatment was concentrated on the...
Whithair KJ, Bowersock TL, Blevins WE, Fessler JF, White MR, Van Sickle DC.Septic arthritis was induced in one antebrachiocarpal joint of seven horses by the intra-articular injection of 1 mL Staphylococcus aureus suspension containing a mean of 10(5) colony-forming units. Twenty-four hours after inoculation, four horses were treated by regional perfusion with 1 g of gentamicin sulfate, and three horses received 2.2 mg/kg gentamicin sulfate intravenously (IV) every 6 hours. Synovial fluid was collected for culture and cytology at regular intervals, and the synovial membranes were collected for culture and histologic examination at euthanasia 24 hours after the first ...
Walters M, Skovgaard K, Andersen PH, Heegaard PMH, Jacobsen S.The role of resident cells such a synoviocytes and chondrocytes in intra-articular inflammation is well-characterized, however the in vivo gene expression patterns of cells (predominantly leukocytes) in the synovial fluid (SF) of an inflamed joint have never previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate gene expression in SF leukocytes from the inflamed joint cavity after intra-articular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection in horses to improve our understanding of the temporal regulation of the intra-articular inflammatory response. Gene expression was investigated in S...
Zamos DT, Honnas CM, Hoffman AG.Arthroscopic examination of structures within the plantar pouch of the tarsocrural joint was accomplished via portals in both the plantaromedial and plantarolateral aspects of the joint. Flexion and extension of the tarsus while examining the joint through either portal allowed observation of the proximal and plantar aspects of the lateral and medial trochlear ridges, the trochlear groove, the caudal aspect of the distal tibia, and the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in its sheath. From a plantarolateral portal, the plantar talocalcaneal ligament and the plantar aspect of the lateral malleol...
Carmalt JL, Bell CD, Panizzi L, Wolker RR, Lanovaz JL, Bracamonte JL, Wilson DG.To assess the safety and efficacy of alcohol-facilitated ankylosis of the distal intertarsal (DIT) and tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints in horses with osteoarthritis (bone spavin). Methods: Prospective clinical trial. Methods: 21 horses with DIT or TMT joint-associated hind limb lameness and 5 nonlame horses. Methods: 11 horses (group 1) underwent lameness, force-plate, and radiographic examinations; following intra-articular analgesia, lameness and force-plate examinations were repeated. Nonlame horses were used for force-plate data acquisition only. Following localization of lameness to the DIT ...
Viitanen MJ, Wilson AM, McGuigan HR, Rogers KD, May SA.Increased joint pressure has been implicated in the progression of osteoarthritis. Objective: That intra-articular pressure in the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) is significantly higher in legs loaded with heel up (HU), low heel (TU), lateral side up (LU) and medial side up (MU) imbalance compared to the balanced position. Methods: Twelve elbow down limbs were compressed in a hydraulic loading jig and DIP pressure measured. Results: Elevating the heels by 5 degrees significantly increased DIP pressure. After 5 ml of contrast was injected into the joint, heel elevation caused a greater incr...
Schneider N, Heimann M, Lejeune JP, Verwilghen DR, Deby-Dupont GP, Serteyn DA.In the human and equine species, different kinds of free floating intra-articular particles are related to certain disorders. Osteochondral fragments formed during osteochondrosis dissecans are the most common finding in the equine species, whereas in humans rice bodies due to rheumatoid arthritis are more frequent. Herein we report a third type of floating body inside the stifle of an adult draught horse stallion, in macroscopic appearance similar to articular rice bodies known in humans. As revealed by histologic examination, the two particles consist of polypoid degenerated structures deriv...
Frisbie DD, Kisiday JD, Kawcak CE, Werpy NM, McIlwraith CW.The purpose of this study was the assessment of clinical, biochemical, and histologic effects of intraarticular administered adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis was induced arthroscopically in the middle carpal joint of all horses, the contralateral joint being sham-operated. All horses received treatment on Day 14. Eight horses received placebo treatment and eight horses received adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction in their osteoarthritis-affected joint. The final eight horses were treate...
Koch DW, Barrett MF, Jackman BR, MacDonald D, Goodrich LR.Aims: To compare the outcome, in terms of lameness score or return to athletic function, of horses with acute vs. chronic digital lameness that underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the distal limb and to compare the proportion of horses that received intra-articular therapy of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint and pattern of diagnostic analgesia in these groups. Methods: This is a retrospective study of horses (n = 95) with acute (≤12 weeks; n = 46) or chronic (>12 weeks; n = 49) digital lameness that underwent MRI of the distal limb from 2009-2016, at two equine re...
Mereu M, Hawkes C, Cuddy LC, Perez Olmos JF, Pazzola M, McNally TP.To describe a dorsoproximal midline (DPM) standing technique for proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) injection and to compare it to established dorsolateral flexed (DLF), palmaroproximal (PP), and dorsolateral standing (DLS) techniques. Methods: Ex vivo study. Methods: Sixty cadaver equine thoracic limbs. Methods: Limbs were divided into four groups (n = 15 each group), DLF, DPM, PP, and DLS. For each technique, three operators injected radiopaque contrast and methylene blue into the PIPJ in five limbs. The number of attempts required was recorded. Successful injection was confirmed by radio...
Barrachina L, Cequier A, Romero A, Vitoria A, Zaragoza P, Vázquez FJ, Rodellar C.Antibody production after allogeneic administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could impact their clinical application. Proinflammatory priming of MSCs can potentiate their regulatory ability in vivo but increased expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) might augment their immunogenicity, potentially leading to immune memory thus limiting repeated allogeneic administration. This study aimed at evaluating the production of cytotoxic allo-antibodies directed against donor's ELA (equine leukocyte antigen) in mismatched and halfmatched horses receiving repeated intraarticular ad...
Nagelli CV, Evans CH, De la Vega RE.Delivering genes to chondrocytes offers new possibilities both clinically, for treating conditions that affect cartilage, and in the laboratory, for studying the biology of chondrocytes. Advances in gene therapy have created a number of different viral and non-viral vectors for this purpose. These vectors may be deployed in an ex vivo fashion, where chondrocytes are genetically modified outside the body, or by in vivo delivery where the vector is introduced directly into the body; in the case of articular and meniscal cartilage in vivo delivery is typically by intra-articular injection. Ex viv...
Krause DM, Pezzanite LM, Griffenhagen GM, Hendrickson DA.Frequency of synovial sepsis in horses following intrasynovial injection has been reported, but not compared with respect to the environment in which the injection was performed. Objective: To describe occurrence of synovial sepsis following intrasynovial injections performed in ambulatory vs hospital settings. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Records from the Colorado State University were evaluated (2014-2018) and horses receiving intrasynovial injections were identified. Patients presenting for septic synovial structures were excluded. Patient signalment, primary supervising se...
Beerts C, Suls M, Broeckx SY, Seys B, Vandenberghe A, Declercq J, Duchateau L, Vidal MA, Spaas JH.Poor healing of tendon and ligament lesions often results in early retirement of sport horses. Therefore, regenerative therapies are being explored as potentially promising treatment for these injuries. In this study, an intralesional injection was performed with allogeneic tenogenically induced mesenchymal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma 5-6 days after diagnosis of suspensory ligament (SL) (n = 68) or superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) (n = 36) lesion. Clinical, lameness and ultrasonographic evaluation was performed at 6 and 12 weeks. Moreover, a survey was performed 12 ...
Moreira JJ, Moraes AP, Brossi PM, Machado TS, Michelacci YM, Massoco CO, Baccarin RY.This experimental controlled study was performed to evaluate the composition of autologous processed plasma (APP), and the effects of APP intra-articular injection into healthy equine metacarpophalangeal joints. The effects on joints were analysed with a short-phase protocol and a prolonged-phase protocol using saline-injected joints as controls. For the short protocol, horses received one intra-articular APP injection. Synovial fluid samples were collected prior to the injection and 3, 6, 24, 48, and 16 h after treatment. For the prolonged protocol, the joints received three weekly injections...
da Gracca Macoris D, Bertone A.The study of the influence of motion and initial intra-articular pressure (IAP) on intra-articular pressure profiles in equine cadaver metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints was undertaken as a prelude to in vivo studies. Eleven equine cadaver MTP joints were submitted to 2 motion frequencies of 5 and 10 cycles/min of flexion and extension, simulating the condition of lower and higher (double) rates of passive motion. These frequencies were applied and pressure profiles generated with initial normal intra-articular pressure (-5 mmHg) and subsequently 30 mmHg intra-articular pressure obtained by inje...
Page AE, Adam E, Stewart JC, Gonzales C, Barker V, Horohov DW.While the use of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation has been well described in the horse, the object of this study was to evaluate the effect of repeated intra-articular LPS injections and determine whether this method may be of use to assess changes in gene expression related to inflammation. Six mixed breed horses were utilized for this study, with three horses aged 10-17 years (older group) and three horses aged 3 years (younger group). One milliliter of phosphate-buffered saline containing 3 μg of LPS from Escherichia coli O111:B4 was aseptically injected into either the radi...
Dyson S.Proximal suspensory desmitis of the hindlimb was diagnosed using local analgesic techniques and ultrasonography in 42 horses. Subtarsal analgesia resulted in substantial improvement in lameness in 36 of 41 horses in which local analgesic techniques were used. In the remaining five horses lameness was improved by perineural analgesia of the tibial nerve (three) or the tibial and fibular nerves. Intra-articular analgesia of the tarso-metatarsal joint produced a similar degree of improvement in two of 24 horses in which lameness had been improved by subtarsal analgesia. Ultrasonographic abnormali...
Hendrickson DA, Nixon AJ.The genual joint in horses is complex, making synovial fluid aspiration and injection of the femoropatellar joint difficult. Horses commonly have signs of resentment to needle penetration at this site. We compared the safety and efficacy of a new technique, using a lateral approach to the femoropatellar joint, with that of the standard cranial approach in 12 horses. A significantly greater amount of fluid was obtained with the lateral approach (2.0 +/- 0.5 ml, mean +/- SEM) than with the cranial approach (0.9 +/- 0.2 ml). Significant differences were not observed in color, nucleated cell count...
Hilbert BJ, Rowley G, Antonas KN, McGill CA, Reynoldson JA, Hawkins CD.Sodium hyaluronate was injected into normal horse joints and joints that had undergone an arthrotomy and experimental cartilage damage. The elimination half-life for hyaluronic acid in normal joints was found to be approximately 96 h. The injection caused a non-significant increase (42%) in synovial fluid protein concentration and a fall in the intrinsic viscosity of the fluid. In the arthrotomy group the synovial fluid hyaluronic acid concentration fell after surgery but it was unaffected by the injection of sodium hyaluronate. An initial rise in the intrinsic viscosity of the synovial fluid ...
Lucia JL, Coverdale JA, Arnold CE, Winsco KN.Nineteen weanling Quarter Horses (225 to 380 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design to investigate the effects of intra-articular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute joint inflammation in young horses. Horses were blocked by age, BW, and sex and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments for a 35-d experiment. Treatments included intra-articular injection of 0.25 ng (n = 7) or 0.50 ng (n = 6) of LPS obtained from Escherichia coli O55:B5 or sterile lactated Ringer's solution (n = 6; control) into the radial carpal joint. Synovial fluid was obtained at preinjection h 0 and 2, ...
Smith R, Parsons J, Dixon J.Desmopathy of the collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal joint is a common cause of equine foot lameness and carries a poor prognosis with conservative management. Intralesional injections may improve healing, although accuracy of radiographically guided injections is significantly less than when guided by MRI, which requires special needles. Longitudinal ultrasound-guided injection of the distal collateral ligament has not been evaluated objectively. In this prospective, anatomic study, seven equine cadaver limbs (14 collateral ligaments) were injected with methylene blue dye and ...
Waselau M, Sutter WW, Genovese RL, Bertone AL.To determine outcome of Standardbred racehorses with moderate to severe midbody suspensory ligament desmitis (MSD) treated by means of ultrasound-guided intralesional injection of a single dose of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) followed by a program of gradually increased exercise. Methods: Nonrandomized clinical trial. Methods: 9 Standardbred racehorses. Methods: Following injection of PRP, horses were allowed a controlled, gradual return to exercise. Race records for the year prior to injury and for 3 consecutive years after horses returned to racing were reviewed. For comparison purposes, race ...
Millican AA, Leatherwood JL, Coverdale JA, Arnold CE, Bradbery AN, Larson CK, Lamprecht ED, White SH, Paulk CB, Welsh TH, Wickersham TA.Sixteen weanling Quarter Horses (255 ± 22 kg) were utilized in a 56-d trial to evaluate the effects of trace mineral (TM) source on intra-articular inflammation following a single acute inflammatory insult. Horses were stratified by age, sex, and BW and then randomly assigned to dietary treatment: concentrate formulated with Zn, Mn, Cu, and Co as inorganic sources (CON; n = 8) or complexed TMs (CTM; n = 8). Added TM were formulated at iso-levels across treatments and intakes met or exceeded NRC requirements. Horses were offered 1.75% BW (as-fed) of treatment concentrate and 0.75% BW (as-fed) ...
Castro-Cuellar G, Cremer J, Liu CC, Queiroz-Williams P, Hampton C, Leise BS.To investigate the cytotoxic effects of 2 different concentrations of buprenorphine and compare them with bupivacaine and morphine on healthy equine chondrocytes in vitro. Methods: Primary cultured equine articular chondrocytes from 3 healthy adult horses. Methods: Chondrocytes were exposed for 0 and 2 hours to the following treatments: media (CON; negative control); bupivacaine at 2.2 mg/mL (BUPI; positive control); morphine at 2.85 mg/mL (MOR); buprenorphine at 0.12 mg/mL (HBUPRE); or buprenorphine at 0.05 mg/mL (LBUPRE). Chondrocyte viability was assessed using live/dead staining, water-sol...
Boyce M, Malone ED, Anderson LB, Park S, Godden SM, Jenner F, Trumble TN.To determine whether triamcinolone acetonide diffuses from the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) to the navicular bursa, diffusion is direct or systemic, and addition of sodium hyaluronan has an effect on diffusion in horses. Methods: 11 adult horses without forelimb lameness. Methods: 1 randomly chosen forelimb DIPJ of each horse received an injection of 10 mg of triamcinolone acetonide plus 20 mg of sodium hyaluronan (group 1), and the contralateral forelimb DIPJ received an injection of 10 mg of triamcinolone acetonide plus 2 mL of lactated Ringer's solution (group 2). Synovial fluid samp...
Harvey A, Kilcoyne I, Byrne BA, Nieto J.To compare synovial concentrations of amikacin following intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) with two different doses, and to compare their ability to reach target concentrations for bacterial isolates from common orthopedic conditions. Methods: Randomized crossover experiment. Methods: Six adult horses. Methods: Horses received IVRLP with 2 and 3 g of amikacin in the cephalic vein of alternate limbs (20 minutes tourniquet application and ≥14 days washout period). Amikacin concentrations were quantified in synovial fluid collected from the middle carpal and metacarpophalangeal joints...
Gingerich DA, Auer JA, Fackelman GE.A single intra-articular injection of 20 or 40 mg of purified hyaluronic acid of rooster comb origin resulted in restoration of normal joint function in horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis. The functional improvement, measured by pressure sensitive force plate techniques, was detectable within one week after treatment and persisted throughout a four week experimental period despite continued use of the joints. The response was dose dependent in that injection of 0 (saline), 5 or 10 mg hyaluronic acid per joint space resulted in no significant change in joint function while dosage...
Adkins AR, Yovich JV, Steel CM.To evaluate the outcome of 17 horses that underwent surgical arthrodesis of the tarsometatarsal and distal intertarsal joints for treatment of lameness due to osteoarthritis. Methods: Retrospective clinical study using client-owned animals. Methods: Horses with hindlimb lameness were diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the distal tarsal joints following relief of lameness after intra-articular anaesthesia or intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Surgery to stimulate ankylosis was performed on 27 hocks by placing 3 diverging 3.2 mm drill holes approximately 3 cm through the tarsometatarsal and...
Contino EK.Joint disease is one of the most common issues effecting sport horses. Because there is no cure for joint disease, treatment goals surround slowing progression of the disease, minimizing pain, increasing function, and optimizing performance. Accomplishing these goals often requires a multimodal approach that combines systemic medications or supplements; intra-articular therapies, such as corticosteroids or biologics; management considerations; and physical therapy exercises.
Fuglbjerg V, Nielsen JV, Thomsen PD, Berg LC.Arthrosis of the articular process joints (APJs) in the caudal thoracolumbar region of horses may cause back pain and subsequent reduced performance or lameness. Ultrasound-guided injections of the APJs of the equine back have been described only briefly in the literature. Objective: To evaluate factors affecting the accuracy of intra-articular injections of the APJs in the caudal thoracolumbar region. Methods: One-hundred-and-fifty-four injections with blue dye were performed on APJs including the T14-L6 region in 12 horses subjected to euthanasia for reasons unrelated to back problems. The b...
