Equine Back Flashcards
How many thoracic vertebrae do horses have?
18
How many lumbar vertebrae do horses have?
6
How many sacral vertebrae do horses have?
5
What may the history of a horse with back pain be?
–Loss of performance
–Stiffness / reluctance to bend or flex
–‘Cold-backed’ to saddle or rider
–Changes in temperament
–Bucking / rearing
–Pain on palpation
–Difficult shoeing / urinating
What may back pain be confused with? (2)
–Can be difficult to differentiate from behavioural / rider problems
–Hindlimb (or forelimb) lameness are a common cause of ‘back’ pain
What are the clinical signs of back pain when at rest?
–Pain on palpation (horses can respond differently, maintain firm constant pressure)
–Muscle wastage, muscle spasm, localised swellings
–Reduced movement (lateral bending, dorsal flexion, ventral flexion, circling)
–Tail tone (cauda equina neuritis)
–Saddle fitting
What are the clinical signs of back pain when exercising?
–Walk and trot in straight line
–Flexion tests to rule out bilateral hindlimb lameness
–Lunging / circling / serpentine
–Backing
–Canter work on lunge
–Ridden exercise (observe tacking up, rider ability and horse’s movement)
–Look carefully for signs of fore or hindlimb lameness
How can we diagnose back pain? (5)
•Regional infiltration of local anaesthesia
–Impingement of dorsal spinous processes
•Biochemistry (CK and AST)
–Myopathies
•Radiography – may be limited by horse size and equipment capability
–Impingement of dorsal spinous processes, fractures and other bony lesions
•Scintigraphy
–Impingement of dorsal spinous processes, fractures and other bony lesions, esp. involving pelvis
•Ultrasonography and thermography can also be used for some conditions
Name 2 soft tissue conidtion causing back pain (3)
–Muscle strains (e.g. Longissimus dorsi)
–Ligament injuries (e.g. Supraspinous ligament)
–Post-exercise myopathy
Name a joint condition causing back pain (2)
–Sacroiliac joint disease
–Osteoarthritis
Name 3 bone conditions causing back pain (4)
–Impingement of dorsal spinous processes
–Fractures (usually associated with trauma, e.g. withers fractures caused by horse rearing up and going over backwards, vertebrae also site of stress fractured in racehorses
–Congenital or acquired vertebral deformities
–Osteomyelitis (rare)
How can we treat acute soft tissue injuries?
Local or systemic anti-inflammatories, rest and adjusting exercise regime
How can you treat joint conditions including sacroiliac? What is the prognosis?
A poor prognosis for return to previous performance levels
How can we treat impingement of DSPs?
By local or systemic anti-inflammatories
