Lesions of the equine neck resulting in lameness or poor performance.
Abstract: Lesions of the neck are an uncommon primary cause of pain resulting in either lameness or poor performance but should be considered if local analgesic techniques of the limbs fail to abolish lameness or if there are clinical signs directly referable to the neck such as pain, abnormal neck posture, stiffness, or patchy sweating. Accurate diagnosis requires careful clinical examination, exclusion of other causes of lameness or poor performance, and accurate interpretation of diagnostic imaging findings.
Publication Date: 2011-11-22 PubMed ID: 22100038DOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2011.08.005Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research article is exploring the impact of neck lesions on horses, noting it’s uncommon for such lesions to cause primary pain that leads to lameness or poor performance, but that it’s crucial to consider this possibility when traditional pain alleviation methods are ineffective.
Understanding the Impact of Neck Lesions
- The research focuses on the connection between lesions in the neck of horses and the resulting abnormal behavior manifested in lameness or poor performance. While it notes that such an occurrence is relatively uncommon, it draws attention to the need for considering neck lesions as a possible cause when other pain-relief methods, specifically local analgesic techniques, don’t work.
- It draws attention to various clinical signs that may indicate the presence of a neck lesion. These include pain in the neck area, abnormal neck posture, stiffness, and patchy sweating. It suggests that a thorough clinical examination in combination with these signs can help identify the possibility of a lesion.
Diagnostic Process and Interpretation of Findings
- The research highlights the importance of conducting an accurate diagnosis to confirm the presence of neck lesions. Such an accurate diagnosis, according to the study, involves a careful clinical examination along with the exclusion of other possible causes for the lameness or poor performance. In other words, the diagnosis for neck lesions should only be considered if other potential issues are effectively ruled out.
- The study underscores the role of interpreting diagnostic imaging findings accurately. This highlights the significance of imaging techniques in the diagnosis process, indicating that, besides physical examination and symptom observation, the use of relevant imaging technology is important to precisely identify the neck lesion.
Cite This Article
APA
Dyson SJ.
(2011).
Lesions of the equine neck resulting in lameness or poor performance.
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 27(3), 417-437.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2011.08.005 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, England. sue.dyson@aht.org.uk
MeSH Terms
- Analgesia / veterinary
- Animals
- Cervical Vertebrae / injuries
- Female
- Forelimb / pathology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Lameness, Animal / diagnosis
- Lameness, Animal / therapy
- Male
- Neck / pathology
- Pain / diagnosis
- Pain / veterinary
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Maldonado MD, Parkinson SD, Story MR, Haussler KK. The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Limb Lameness and Concurrent Axial Skeleton Pain and Dysfunction in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 19;12(20).
- Bergmann W, de Lest CV, Plomp S, Vernooij JCM, Wijnberg ID, Back W, Gröne A, Delany MW, Caliskan N, Tryfonidou MA, Grinwis GCM. Intervertebral disc degeneration in warmblood horses: Histological and biochemical characterization. Vet Pathol 2022 Mar;59(2):284-298.
- Story MR, Nout-Lomas YS, Aboellail TA, Selberg KT, Barrett MF, Mcllwraith CW, Haussler KK. Dangerous Behavior and Intractable Axial Skeletal Pain in Performance Horses: A Possible Role for Ganglioneuritis (14 Cases; 2014-2019). Front Vet Sci 2021;8:734218.
- Story MR, Haussler KK, Nout-Lomas YS, Aboellail TA, Kawcak CE, Barrett MF, Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW. Equine Cervical Pain and Dysfunction: Pathology, Diagnosis and Treatment. Animals (Basel) 2021 Feb 6;11(2).
- Veraa S, Scheffer CJW, Smeets DHM, de Bruin RB, Hoogendoorn AC, Vernooij JCM, Nielen M, Back W. Cervical disc width index is a reliable parameter and consistent in young growing Dutch Warmblood horses. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2020 Oct 13;62(1):11-9.
- Hurcombe SD, Morris TB, VanderBroek AR, Habecker P, Wulster K, Hopster K. Cervical Epidural and Subarachnoid Catheter Placement in Standing Adult Horses. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:232.
- Gee C, Small A, Shorter K, Brown WY. A Radiographic Technique for Assessment of Morphologic Variations of the Equine Caudal Cervical Spine. Animals (Basel) 2020 Apr 12;10(4).
- Touzot-Jourde G, Geffroy O, Tallaj A, Gauthier O, Denoix JM. Ultrasonography-Guided Perineural Injection of the Ramus ventralis of the 7 and 8th Cervical Nerves in Horses: A Cadaveric Descriptive Pilot Study. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:102.
- Haussler KK, Pool RR, Clayton HM. Characterization of bony changes localized to the cervical articular processes in a mixed population of horses. PLoS One 2019;14(9):e0222989.
- Shearer TR, Kinsley MA, Pease AP, Patterson JS. Development of a minimally invasive approach to equine cervical articular facet joints for placement of an ND:YAG LASER. Can Vet J 2017 Nov;58(11):1181-1186.
- Käfer-Karrer MJ, de Preux M, Van der Vekens E, Mattei LI, Kuhlmann J, Klopfenstein Bregger MD, Easley JT, Koch C. Internal fixation of a fractured cranial articular process of the sixth cervical vertebra by means of computer-assisted surgery in a Warmblood gelding. Vet Surg 2025 Jul;54(5):920-929.
- Dyson S, Phillips K, Zheng S, Aleman M. Congenital variants of the ventral laminae of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae are not associated with clinical signs or other radiological abnormalities of the cervicothoracic region in Warmblood horses. Equine Vet J 2025 Mar;57(2):419-430.
- Dyson S, Zheng S, Aleman M. Primary phenotypic features associated with caudal neck pathology in warmblood horses. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Jul-Aug;38(4):2380-2390.
- Maśko M, Sikorska U, Borowska M, Zdrojkowski Ł, Jasiński T, Domino M. The Postural and Body Surface Temperature Response of Leisure Horses to Lunging with Selected Lunging Aids. Animals (Basel) 2023 Dec 20;14(1).
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