Determination of correlation of proximal sesamoid bone osteoarthritis with high-speed furlong exercise and catastrophic sesamoid bone fracture in Thoroughbred racehorses.
Abstract: To examine whether proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) articular cartilage and bone osteoarthritic changes or palmar osteochondral disease (POD) scores were associated with exercise history and catastrophic PSB fracture in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: PSBs from 16 Thoroughbred racehorses (8 with and 8 without PSB fracture). Methods: Exercise history was collected, and total career high-speed furlongs was used as the measure of total exercise per horse. At necropsy, medial and lateral condyles of the third metacarpus from each forelimb were assigned a POD score, followed by imaging with micro-CT for evaluation of osteophyte size. Three investigators that were blinded to the type of PSB (fracture or no fracture) used the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scoring system to evaluate acellularity, chondrocyte necrosis, cartilage fibrillation, chondrone formation, safranin O stain uptake, and tidemark advancement of 1 central sagittal tissue section/PSB (4 PSBs/horse). Cartilage thickness and bone necrosis were scored on the basis of histologic examination. Results: POD score, osteophyte size score, percentage of bone necrosis, tidemark advancement, chondrone formation, and total OARSI score were greater in horses with more accrued total career high-speed furlongs. Scores for POD, osteophyte size, fibrillation, acellularity, chondrone formation, and total OARSI were greater for horses with PSB fracture. Unassigned: OARSI scoring revealed that more advanced osteoarthritic changes strongly correlated with total career high-speed furlongs and PSB fracture. However, the effect of exercise was dominant, suggesting that exercise history will be important to include in future models that aim to assess risk factors for catastrophic PSB fracture.
Publication Date: 2021-05-26 PubMed ID: 34032482DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.82.6.467Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research investigates the relationship between the osteoarthritic conditions of proximal sesamoid bones (PSB) in Thoroughbred racehorses, their racing history, and the occurrence of catastrophic PSB fractures. The study findings suggest long-term, high-speed racing exercises significantly correlate with advanced osteoarthritic changes and higher fracture rates in horses.
Research Methodology
- The study involved a sample of 16 Thoroughbred racehorses, half of which had PSB fractures and the other half without fractures.
- Researchers collected data on the exercise history of these horses, specifically the total career high-speed furlongs to determine the total exercise per horse.
- Post mortem examinations were conducted on the bones, and each was assigned a Palmar Osteochondral Disease (POD) score.
- Micro-CT imaging was used to assess the size of osteophytes, bony lumps that often grow on the joints of patients with arthritis.
- An in-depth evaluation was carried out using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scoring system to analyze various aspects of the bone and tissue health, including cellularity, chondrocyte (cartilage cells) necrosis, cartilage fibrillation, chondrone (cartilage lump) formation, and tidemark (calcification front in articular cartilage) advancement.
Key Findings
- The collected scores distinctly pointed out that horses with a longer history of high-speed furlongs and PSB fractures had higher scores in all the evaluated categories, indicating more severe osteoarthritic changes and bone necrosis.
- Horses with fractures had greater scores for POD, osteophyte size, fibrillation, chondrone formation, and overall OARSI compared to those without fractures.
- The OARSI scoring data revealed a strong correlation between more advanced osteoarthritic changes and a higher number of total career high-speed furlongs.
Conclusion
- The research concludes that the exercise history of thoroughbred racehorses is a crucial factor and a larger contributor to osteoarthritis and catastrophic PSB fractures than previously realized.
- As such, exercise history should be a significant consideration when developing future assessments of risk factors for catastrophic PSB fractures in Thoroughbred racehorses.
Cite This Article
APA
Cresswell EN, Ruspi BD, Wollman CW, Peal BT, Deng S, Toler AB, McDonough SP, Palmer SE, Reesink HL.
(2021).
Determination of correlation of proximal sesamoid bone osteoarthritis with high-speed furlong exercise and catastrophic sesamoid bone fracture in Thoroughbred racehorses.
Am J Vet Res, 82(6), 467-477.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.82.6.467 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Forelimb
- Fractures, Bone / veterinary
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Osteoarthritis / veterinary
- Sesamoid Bones
Grant Funding
- S10 OD025049 / NIH HHS
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Noordwijk KJ, Chen L, Ruspi BD, Schurer S, Papa B, Fasanello DC, McDonough SP, Palmer SE, Porter IR, Basran PS, Donnelly E, Reesink HL. Metacarpophalangeal Joint Pathology and Bone Mineral Density Increase with Exercise but Not with Incidence of Proximal Sesamoid Bone Fracture in Thoroughbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 24;13(5).
- Liu H, Wang Y, Li M, Chen D, Tang Y. Compliance of functional exercises in school-age children with limb fractures: implication for nursing countermeasures. BMC Pediatr 2022 Mar 14;22(1):133.
- Ciamillo SA, Bills KW, Gassert TM, Richardson DW, Brown KA, Stefanovski D, Ortved KF. Effect of high-speed exercise on subchondral bone in the metacarpo-/metatarsophalangeal joints of 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses in their first year of training. Equine Vet J 2026 Jan;58(1):40-48.
- Irandoust S, O'Neil LM, Stevenson CM, Franseen FM, Ramzan PHL, Powell SE, Brounts SH, Loeber SJ, Ergun DL, Whitton RC, Henak CR, Muir P. Comparison of radiography and computed tomography for identification of third metacarpal structural change and associated assessment of condylar stress fracture risk in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):723-736.
- Stewart HL, Gilbert D, Stefanovski D, Garman Z, Albro MB, Bais M, Grinstaff MW, Snyder BD, Schaer TP. A missed opportunity: A scoping review of the effect of sex and age on osteoarthritis using large animal models. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2024 May;32(5):501-513.
- Nagy A, Boros K, Dyson S. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computed Tomographic and Radiographic Findings in the Metacarpophalangeal Joints of 40 Non-Lame Thoroughbred Yearlings. Animals (Basel) 2023 Nov 9;13(22).
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
