Aching Equine Knees: Carpal Lesions in the Non-Racehorse

By: Nancy S. Loving, DVM
December 16 2007, Article # 10992

Sue Dyson, VetMB, PhD, FRCVS, head of clinical orthopedics at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, England, discussed a variety of lesions in the carpal region (knee) of the non-racehorse at the AAEP Focus seminar in Ft. Collins, Colo., on July 31, 2007. She prefaced her presentation by saying lesions in this area can be quite challenging to identify.

One common injury is that of the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT), usually in older competition horses aged 12-15 years. She noted that an abnormality is not always found on palpation or related to thickening of the tendon. Making this syndrome even more frustrating is that the lameness might be exacerbated by work, but it could only be intermittent in occurrence, with prompt resolution after rest.

Carpal flexion might exacerbate the horse’s lameness when already lame, but if the horse is not lame at the time of the exam, the flexion test won’t produce lameness. Diagnostic anesthesia using upper limb nerve blocks will abolish the lameness when the horse is demonstrating lameness and pain. Pain can be identified with careful palpation of the superficial digital flexor tendon. There are no particular characteristics of the associated lameness in this area.

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