Navicular disease in the horse. The subchondral bone pressure.

The research scrutinizes the pressure in the subchondral bone (beneath the cartilage) in horses with navicular disease, contrasting this with normal horses. It reveals high intraosseous (inside the bone) pressure and longer pressure drop time in those with the disease, implying possible venous stasis (impaired blood flow). The study suggests navicular disease could be akin to human arthrosis (joint disease), and the typical clinical symptoms may represent resting pains. Potential treatments are proposed to potentially relieve symptoms.

Understanding the Navicular Disease and Research Objective

• The study aims to gain an insight into the altered subchondral bone pressure and intraosseous pressure in horses dealing with navicular disease. It compares these pressures with those recorded in healthy horses.
• Navicular disease affects the navicular bone in a horse’s foot, causing pain and possibly, lameness.
• The researchers endeavored to uncover the link between high intraosseous pressures and this condition in horses.

Key Findings

• The key discovery is the elevated intraosseous pressure and extended pressure drop time in horses with navicular disease. This condition may hint at the presence of venous stasis, an occurrence where the blood flow within the veins is slowed or stops.
• Research findings suggest that symptoms linked to navicular disease could be indicative of “resting pains”. This observation could prove crucial in understanding and managing the disease.

Comparison with Human Arthrosis

• Against the backdrop of similar studies carried out on humans diagnosed with arthrosis, it’s postulated that navicular disease in horses could bear resemblance to arthrosis.
• Arthrosis is a degenerative joint condition in humans, characterized by the destruction of cartilage in the joints leading to pain and stiffness.
• Such a relationship, if proven conclusively, could provide new avenues for managing and treating navicular disease in horses, drawing on the advances made in arthrosis treatment in humans.

Proposed Treatments

• The researchers offer suggestions for the treatment of navicular disease based on their findings. However, these are theoretical and require further investigation for verification.
• The crux of these recommendations is to increase blood flow within the navicular bone. This, it is theorized, will lead to a reduction in intraosseous pressure, a primary condition manifesting in horses with navicular disease.