The effect of exercise on the healing of articular cartilage defects in the equine carpus.
Abstract: Arthroscopic surgery was performed on 12 horses (2-4 years of age) to create a 7 x 14 mm full-thickness cartilage defect in one radial carpal bone and in the contralateral third carpal bone. Six horses remained confined to a small paddock and six horses underwent a program of increasing exercise consisting of walking, trotting, and cantering for 13 weeks. All lesions showed evidence of healing at week 6 that progressed to more complete healing at week 13. There was no difference in the amount of repair tissue covering the defect. Histologically, the lesions healed with a combination of fibrous tissue and fibrocartilage. The repair tissue was significantly thicker in the exercised horses but there was no difference in repair quality. It was concluded that radial carpal and third carpal lesions have an equal ability to heal and that early postoperative exercise is not detrimental to the repair tissue within these carpal cartilage defects.
Publication Date: 1989-07-01 PubMed ID: 2773294DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-950x.1989.tb01091.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research is about a study conducted to determine the effect of exercise on healing articular cartilage defects in horses. The study found that exercise does not negatively affect the healing process, instead, it resulted in thicker repair tissue.
Research Methodology
- The researchers conducted arthroscopic surgery on 12 horses, ages 2 to 4 years, to create defects on one radial carpal bone and on the third carpal bone of the contralateral carpus.
- These horses were then separated into two groups. The first group remained confined to a small paddock, while the second group was subjected to an increasing exercise regimen of walking, trotting, and cantering for 13 weeks.
Findings of the Research
- All the lesions created showed evidence of healing at week 6 and by the end of the 13-week period, more complete healing was observed.
- There was no observed difference in the amount of repair tissue covering the defect regardless of the treatment group.
- Examination of the lesions under a microscope revealed that the healing process involved a combination of fibrous tissue and fibrocartilage.
- There was a significant increase in the thickness of the repair tissue in the horses that exercised, but there was no difference in the quality of the repair between the two groups.
Conclusions Derived from the Research
- The lesions in the radial and third carpal bones both showed an equal ability to heal, meaning the location of the defect did not affect the healing capacity of the bone.
- Early postoperative exercise, contrary to some beliefs, does not negatively affect the quality of the repair tissue within the carpal cartilage defects.
- In fact, exercise resulted in a significant increase in the thickness of the repair tissue, providing a potential benefit for recovery.
Cite This Article
APA
French DA, Barber SM, Leach DH, Doige CE.
(1989).
The effect of exercise on the healing of articular cartilage defects in the equine carpus.
Vet Surg, 18(4), 312-321.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-950x.1989.tb01091.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Carpal Bones / injuries
- Carpus, Animal / injuries
- Cartilage, Articular / injuries
- Horses / injuries
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Time Factors
- Wound Healing
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Crowley SG, Pedersen A, Fortney TA, Swindell HW, Saltzman BM, Popkin CA, Trofa DP. Rehabilitation Variability Following Osteochondral Autograft and Allograft Transplantation of the Knee. Cartilage 2022 Apr-Jun;13(2):19476035221093071.
- Crowley SG, Swindell HW, Saltzman BM, Ahmad CS, Popkin CA, Trofa DP. Rehabilitation Variability Following Femoral Condyle and Patellofemoral Microfracture Surgery of the Knee. Cartilage 2021 Dec;13(1_suppl):1801S-1813S.
- Te Moller NCR, Mohammadi A, Plomp S, Serra Bragança FM, Beukers M, Pouran B, Afara IO, Nippolainen E, Mäkelä JTA, Korhonen RK, Töyräs J, Brommer H, van Weeren PR. Structural, compositional, and functional effects of blunt and sharp cartilage damage on the joint: A 9-month equine groove model study. J Orthop Res 2021 Nov;39(11):2363-2375.
- Howard JS, Mattacola CG, Romine SE, Lattermann C. Continuous Passive Motion, Early Weight Bearing, and Active Motion following Knee Articular Cartilage Repair: Evidence for Clinical Practice. Cartilage 2010 Oct;1(4):276-86.
- Song JQ, Dong F, Li X, Xu CP, Cui Z, Jiang N, Jia JJ, Yu B. Effect of treadmill exercise timing on repair of full-thickness defects of articular cartilage by bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells: an experimental investigation in rats. PLoS One 2014;9(3):e90858.
- van Eekeren IC, Reilingh ML, van Dijk CN. Rehabilitation and return-to-sports activity after debridement and bone marrow stimulation of osteochondral talar defects. Sports Med 2012 Oct 1;42(10):857-70.
- Desjardins MR, Hurtig MB. Cartilage healing: A review with emphasis on the equine model. Can Vet J 1990 Aug;31(8):565-72.
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