Flexural Deformities Flashcards
What is a flexural deforimity?
Hyperflexion of a limb from difference in length of the muscles and tendons relative to the bone length.
NOTE: aka Contracted tendons
What are the 2 forms of flexural deformity?
Congenital
Acquired
What 4 tissues can be involved in a flexural deformity?
Superficial digital flexor tendon
Deep digital flexor tendon
Suspensory ligament
Joint capsule
What are 5 conservative treatments for flexural deformities?
Exercise Shoeing Splints Oxytetracycline Cast
When are acquired flexural deformities usually seen?
Between 6-18 months of age.
How does exercise help to correct a flexural deformity?
10 minutes in the morning and evening for a week or two to try and stretch things out to normal conformity.
What do Dallmer glue on shoes help to correct?
Congenital flexural limb deformities
What are 2 clinical signs of digital hyperextension?
Toe is elevated from the ground
Sinking fetlock
What is the key feature of a corrective shoe made for contracted tendons?
Has an extended toe.
What is the key feature of a corrective hoe made for digital hyperextension?
Has an extended heel.
How does oxytetracycline help to treat flexural deformities?
Binds calcium and allows muscles to relax and stretch.
NOTE: Not always effective
What is the surgical process to correct contracted tendons?
Digital flexor tenotomy
When performing a digital flexor tenotomy to correct contracted tendons, what 2 tendons are being cut?
Superficial and deep digital flexor tendons
What is the prognosis of a digital flexor tenotomy?
Usually good
What is the recovery time after a digital flexor tenotomy?
~2 weeks
What are 2 causes of acquired flexor tendon laxity?
Pain (usually from contralateral limb)
Prolonged external coaptation
What is the common name of flexor tendon laxity?
Dropped fetlock
How does prolonged coaptation result in flexor tendon laxity?
Weakens the soft tissue.
NOTE: This is rapid in foals.
What does flexor tendon rupture look similar to?
Tendon laxity
What can you do to help an animal with flexor tendon rupture?
Place a shoe with elongated heels to support the fetlock.
Describe the classic symptom of radial nerve positioning.
I’m too cheap to pay 20 bucks for 2 months of fancy Brainscape so it’s the pic of the hereford cow with right thoracic fetlock in hyperextension.
(Slide 40 in the flexural deformity powerpoint)
NOTE: Grevemeyer said “try not to forget this picture”.
What do we see in an extensor tendon rupture?
Knuckling over of the affected limb.
What surgical procedure can you do to help correct superficial digital flexor tendonitis?
Superior check ligament desmotomy
What is the common name for a flexural deformity at the distal interphalangeal joint?
Club foot
NOTE: ALSO contracted tendons
What are 2 causes of club foot?
Fast growing foals (bones grow faster than tendons)
Pain
What 3 things do we see clinically with club foot?
“Boxy” appearance
A break in the hoof-pastern angle
Weight bearing on the toe/growth at the heels
What are 2 general treatments for club foot?
Conservative
Surgical
What are 4 forms of conservative treatment for club foot?
Controlled exercise
Reduce nutrition intake
Trim the heels
Apply toe extensions
What surgical repair is used for club foot?
Inferior check ligament desmotomy
