It is usually the result of trauma or orthopedic disease, but other causes such as metabolic dysfunction, circulatory disease, and infection can also cause pain and subsequent lameness. Pain is the most common cause of lameness in the horse. Trauma is a common cause of lameness in horses. Lameness itself is a clinical sign, and not a diagnosis. Lameness is most commonly caused by pain, but may also be the result of neuromuscular disease or mechanical restriction. It is one of the most costly health problems for the equine industry, both monetarily for the cost of diagnosis and treatment, and for the cost of time off resulting in loss-of-use. Lameness is a common veterinary problem in racehorses, sport horses, and pleasure horses. In the horse, it is most commonly caused by pain, but can be due to neurologic or mechanical dysfunction. Should you notice any asymmetry or lameness developing, make an appointment with a veterinarian.Lameness is an abnormal gait or stance of an animal that is the result of dysfunction of the locomotor system. Overall, windpuffs are generally not associated with any lameness problems, tend to be chronic, and can be managed using supportive care. In severe cases, hyaluronic acid injections in the tendon sheath might help. Owners can manage windpuffs using supportive therapy such as bandaging, sweats like those which you have been using, and cold therapy with ice. Idiopathic windpuffs can be difficult to prevent, particularly when they become chronic. These might result from the wear and tear on the tendon during exercise, with her conformation being a possible contributing factor. Since your mare is not lame and the swelling tends to occur after exercise, her condition appears to be most consistent with idiopathic windpuffs. Treatment includes severing the PAL surgically (desmotomy) and possibly resecting any masses or adhesions within the digital sheath. Veterinarians can diagnose this by looking for the characteristic appearance, lameness, pain when the fetlock joint is flexed, and local heat, and by using local block and ultrasound. In this case, tendon sheath swelling combined with thickening of the PAL leads to constriction of the tendon, causing a bulge above and below the ligament. The PAL is a ligament that holds the flexor tendons against the surface of the leg. Treatment includes administering anti-inflammatory drugs, resting the horse, and possibly having a veterinarian inject the lesion.Ī final complication of windpuffs is proximal annular ligament (PAL) desmitis (inflammation). Veterinarians can differentiate tenosynovitis from windpuffs using physical examination findings, a tendon sheath block (with anesthetic), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or tenoscopy (endoscopy or visual examination of the inside of the tendon sheath using a fiber-optic camera). This pathologic condition manifests acutely and results in lameness, swelling, and pain on palpation of the affected area. Swelling of the tendon sheath itself could be an indication of more severe injury or tenosynovitis (inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the tendon sheath). Lameness is not a component of idiopathic windpuffs, and this condition is not associated with -disease. Idiopathic windpuffs tend to be chronic and can be worse in horses with anatomical predispositions, such as club foot, and after exercise, due to stress placed on the tendons. Horses most frequently develop idiopathic windpuffs, especially when swelling is evident on both sides of the tendon and bilaterally symmetrical in both hind limbs. There are two types of windpuffs: idiopathic (of unknown cause, but they do not cause any problems) and pathologic (caused by disease).
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