Communication between the femoropatellar and medial and lateral femorotibial joints in horses.

The research explores the connection or communication between three joint compartments of horses – the femoropatellar, medial femorotibial, and lateral femorotibial joints. The study used equine cadaver specimens for testing, which revealed that no communication or link exists between all three joints.

Methods

• The researchers used 90 specimens from 45 horses for this study.
• The horses were divided into three groups and each group was made up of 15 horses.
• Every group was assigned a specific injection site – the femoropatellar joint, the medial femorotibial joint, or the lateral femorotibial joint.
• To study the joints, red latex was injected at the respective sites.
• Right after the injection, the joints were exercised by flexing and extending them 100 times.
• The researchers froze the stifles (equivalent to the human knee) in slight flexion, before cutting them into 1-cm sagittal sections (vertical cross-section).

Findings

• None of the equine specimens showed communication between all three joint compartments.
• When the femoropatellar joint was injected, 60% of the joints showed communication with the medial femorotibial joint, and only 3% showed communication with the lateral femorotibial joint.
• On injecting the medial femorotibial joint, 80% of the joints communicated with the femoropatellar joint, and again, only 3% communicated with the lateral femorotibial joint.
• When injecting the lateral femorotibial joint, only 3% of the joints revealed communication with the femoropatellar joint.
• Importantly, no communication was discovered between the medial and lateral femorotibial joints.

Conclusion

• This indicates that the three joint compartments in a horse’s leg – namely the femoropatellar, medial femorotibial, and lateral femorotibial – mostly function in isolation. There’s a marginal degree of communication between the femoropatellar and medial femorotibial joints, and almost none with the lateral femorotibial joint.