Lameness

Question 1

Indicators of lameness that owners or vets might look for:

Answer 1

-feel unbalanced
-change in behavior
-hip hike
-head bob
-reluctance to move

Question 2

What occurs during a physical exam?

Answer 2

-palpations
-flexing

Question 3

What gaits are horses observed at for lameness?

Answer 3

walk and trot (they are symmetrical)

Question 4

What characteristics should be observed during movement?

Answer 4

-phase of stride
-foot arc
-how the foot lands
-cranial phase of the stride
-movement of head
-good suspension
-hips are symmetrical
-tracks up well

Question 5

When the lame leg hits the ground the head will…

Answer 5

raise

Question 6

When the sound leg hits the ground the head will…

Answer 6

lower

Question 7

How is the AAEP Lameness Scale used

Answer 7

as a recording system by vets
-records lameness severity before and after nerve blocks evaluation
-records how recovery is going and if the treatment is working the grade should improve

Question 8

When the lame hind leg hits the ground the hip…

Answer 8

raises

Question 9

Why is it important for the horse to be led on a somewhat loose lead during lameness evaluations?

Answer 9

the horses head needs to be able to move naturally. If the lead is too tight, the horse may not be able to bob its head when the lame leg hits the ground as it would naturally, hiding the lameness. Also it could cause the head to move unnaturally up and down which could make a sound horse appear lame.

Question 10

What is the length of time to keep a joint flexed?

Answer 10

30 seconds, then immediately trot off

Question 11

What would a positive flexion test mean?

Answer 11

that the horse appears to be lame or more lame when jogging after flexing a specific joint

Question 12

How does a flexion test help identify which part of the lame limb is affected?

Answer 12

the horse will appear more sore after a specific joint is flexed.
-they may be fine after flexing the fetlock but could appear more lame or sore after flexing the knee
-always flex bottom to top

Question 13

What type of information is generally looked for in the history of a lame horse?

Answer 13

-age
-breed
-sex
-performance history and level
-previous medical history
-previous and current medications
-which leg is lame and for how long

Question 14

Steps of a general physical exam for lameness:

Answer 14

1. look over
2. palpate from front to back – check for heat, thickness, reaction/sensitivity, etc.
3. check range of motion
4. check tail tone
5. diagnostics (ultrasounds, xrays, etc.)

Question 15

A hoof tester is used to identify lameness in what parts of the hoof?

Answer 15

the soft tissue structures withing the hoof capsule
-puts pressure through the sole and along the frog

Question 16

What hoof problems might taking a digital pulse detect?

Answer 16

-abscesses
-inflammation of the hoof
-laminitis
-traumatic injuries

Question 17

Where is the digital pulse taken?

Answer 17

from the palmar digital artery at the base of the pastern

Question 18

Why would it be beneficial to take radiographs after nerve blocking instead of before?

Answer 18

Nerve blocking allows you to better localize the source of the pain so only a limited amount of radiographs need to be taken. It will also make spotting the original pain in the radiographs easier for vets in a smaller more localized area.

Question 19

What does nerve blocking do?

Answer 19

guides the diagnostic imaging paln which makes the process easier and usually more cost-effective

Question 20

How does nuclear scintigraphy differ from a radiograph?

Answer 20

it uses an injection of radioactive isotopes and shows more detail

Question 21

What is the common name for a nuclear scintigraphy

Answer 21

bone scan

Question 22

What types of tissues does an MRI help image?

Answer 22

soft tissues, joints, spinal disks

Question 23

What advantages does an MRI have over radiographs?

Answer 23

-MRI’s show small changes and lesions in soft tissue structures
-image quality isn’t degraded by bone or air
-multiplanar imaging
-it is safe (no radiation)
-best soft tissue differentiation

Question 24

What advantage does a lameness locator have over the visual observations of horses in motion?

Answer 24

-it gives an objective view of lameness rather than subjective
-will detect multiple lamenesses, subtle lamenesses, and determine which lameness (if multiple) is worse
-more direct data

Question 25

Before doing advanced diagnostics, what are two things a vet might do to determine whether a horse has a lameness in its hoof?

Answer 25

1. use a hoof tester to identify a general area of where the horse is sore or painful
2. check the digital pulse (and compare to the non-lame limbs) and check for heat

Question 26

The process of nuclear scintigraphy

Answer 26

(bone scan) An IV radioisotope is injected into the horse’s bloodstream. A gamma camera is then used to look for active radioisotope uptake in bones, that are remodeling (or have increased in cellular activity)

Question 27

What are the advantages of nuclear scintigraphy of radiographs?

Answer 27

-it can capture areas of the horse that would otherwise be difficult to scan (ie: back)
-it can detect hot spots and lesions at their earliest stages, that would otherwise not yet show up on a radiograph

Question 28

0 on the lameness scale

Answer 28

lameness not perceptible under any circumstances

Question 29

1 on the lameness scale

Answer 29

lameness is difficult to observe and is not consistently apparent, regardless of circumstances (e.g. under saddle, circling, inclines, hard surface, etc.)

Question 30

2 on the lameness scale

Answer 30

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.)

Question 31

3 on the lameness scale

Answer 31

lameness is consistently observable at a trot under all circumstances

Question 32

4 on the lameness scale

Answer 32

lameness is obvious at the walk

Question 33

5 on the lameness scale

Answer 33

lameness produces minimal weight bearing in motion and/or at rest or a complete inability to move

Question 34

Essential features of a thorough vet exam include:

Answer 34

-medical history of the horse
-visual appraisal of the horse at rest
-thorough hands-on exam
-application of hoof testers to the feet
-evaluation of the horse in motion
-joint flexion tests

Question 35

Diagnostic tests include:

Answer 35

-nerve and joint blocks
-radiographs (xrays)
-scintigraphy
-ultrasound
-arthroscopy
-blood, synovial (joint) fluid, and tissue samples