Lameness 1 - diagnostics Flashcards
What is lameness?
• Lameness is not a disease but a locomotor disturbance
Definition of claudication
• Means to limp. Structural or functional disorder in one or more limbs and related structures
Phases of the stride:
Supporting, swinging
Supporting phase:
Supporting phase, when the foot remains in contact with the ground.
Swinging phase
then the foot is not in contact with the ground.
What are the movements in the supporting phase?
o Landing o Loading o Stance o Breakover - Heel lift - toe pivot
What are the movements in the swinging phase?
o Flexion (Caudal) o Extension (Cranial)
What types of joint hyperextension do we have?
Anormal Joint Hyperextension
Constant DIPJ (distal interphalangeal joint) Hyperextension
Define hyperextension :
• extend a limb or joint beyond its normal limits
What are the mechanism of the hoof?
- changes in shape of the horn capsule during the loading and unloading cycle during movement.
- ‘pumping’ mechanism, especially the heel moves, is visible on horse shoe
What does the arc of foot flight represent?
• The flight arc of the hoof represents the summation of all the joint movements in the limb
Causes of Lamness:
- Trauma
- Congenital
- Acquired
- Infection
- Metabolic disturbances
- Circulatory disturbances
- Nervous system
Lameness caused by trauma:
(Septic synovial sheet/joint → pain and even death)
Congenital Lameness :
(coangulation, Navicular diseases Enlarged synovial channels)
Lameness caused by infection:
(Very important! A septic joint is considered an emergency, flush joint!)
Lameness caused by Circulatory disturbances:
Aortoiliac thrombosis
Other causes of lameness?
- PAIN
- Mechanical
- Paralytic disorders
What is the degree of lameness (1-5)
- Grade I. : very mild
- Grade II.: mild
- Grade III.: moderate
- Grade IV.: severe
- Grade V.: non weight bearing
AAEP grading system:
- 0: Lameness not perceptible under any circumstances.
- 1: Lameness is difficult to observe and is not consistently apparent, regardless of circumstances (e.g. under saddle, circling, inclines, hard surface, etc.).
- 2: Lameness is difficult to observe at a walk or when trotting in a straight line but consistently apparent under certain circumstances (e.g. weight- carrying, circling, inclines, hard surface, etc.).
- 3: Lameness is consistently observable at a trot under all circumstances.
- 4: Lameness is obvious at a walk.
- 5: Lameness produces minimal weight bearing in motion and/or at rest or a complete inability to move
Character of lameness
• Unchanging – the same
• Changing – better/worse at certain circumstances
o Improving during training/examination
o Intermittent
Classification of lameness
- Supporting limb lameness
- Swinging limb lameness
a. (Bicipital bursistis) - Mixed lameness
- Complementary lameness
- Untypical lameness
- Special lameness
Characterize Supporting limb lameness :
- Cranial phase is longer
- Head and neck movement
- The problem is usually lower
- Worse in inside circle
Characterize swinging limb lameness:
- Cranial phase is shortened
- It is evident during motion
- Usually the problem is higher
- Worse in outside circle
Characterize compensatory lameness:
• Uneven distribution of weight on another limb
• Lame one front limb other front limb
• Navicular disease sole bruise
• Eg: Severe left hind limb lameness
o med. Femorotibial osteoarthritis
• 3/5 left hind limb lameness
o femoropatellar joint
Characterize Untipical (Untypical) lameness
- When more than one limb is effected
* Concurrent left hind right front limb lameness
Characterize special lameness
- E.g. rupture of peroneus tertius
- Upward fixation of the patella
- DDFT (deep digiatal flexor tendon) rupture
- Fibrotic myopathy
