musculoskeletal

Question 1

exam

Answer 1

• General physical exam – rule out systemic
  conditions
• Orthopedic exam
  – Include the spine
  – Do a full exam even if you find one problem, there
  may be more than one
• Neurological exam – if any indication of
  possible neurological abnormalities

Question 2

stance

Answer 2

• Stance phase is the period in which the foot is in contact with the ground
  – First part of stance phase is braking
  – Second part of stance phase is propulsion
• Swing phase is the period in which the foot is in the air

Question 3

Normal Gaits (Dog and Horse)

Answer 3

• Symmetric gaits – right and left sides of the
  body move symmetrically eg. walk, trot, pace (these gaits are used for gait analysis)
• Asymmetric gaits -right and left sides of the
  body move differently eg. canter, gallop

Question 4

walk gait order

Answer 4

-LH, LF, RH, RH

-Tracking means the
hind foot lands in the
same spot as the front
foot

-Over tracking means
the hind foot reaches
past where the front
foot landed

Question 5

canter/ gallop

Answer 5

• In horses at canter or gallop, the hind limbs
  should be on the same lead as the front limbs

-gallop has a
suspension phase where there is no contact
with the ground

• Can be either on the left lead or right lead,
  referring to which forelimb comes farthest
  forwards

Question 6

Disunited or Cross Canter (Horses)

Answer 6

• If the front and hind limbs are on the opposite
  lead, this is called a disunited or cross canter
• This can be seen intermittently in young
  horses or those just starting training that lack
  balance
• It could indicate a problem if seen in a horse
  that previously cantered normally

Question 7

How to identify a lame leg?

Answer 7

• Observe stance
  – Look for decreased weight-bearing
• Observe digits in dogs
• A horse may rest a leg
• Look for weight shifting forwards or backwards

-obeseve at walk, if not obvios than at a trot, if only seen at canter than canter,

Question 8

lameness presenting in different limbs

Answer 8

• For both walk and trot
  – For a front leg lameness, watch for a head nod: Down for sound
  – For a hind leg lameness, watch for a hip hike (horses): Down for sound (hip hikes higher on the sore side)

– For both front and hind
* Watch for shorter stride length on the lame leg
* Watch for decreased stance time on the lame leg

Question 9

tools for lameness detection

Answer 9

-stance analyzer: measures weight distribution

-pressure walkways: made of pressure sensors, records foot falls

-EMG: detect activity of muscles during locomotion. surface EMG metal discs attached to skin.

-hoof systems: wireless sensors used on bottom of hoof

-instrumented treadmills

-equinosis lameness locator: sensors on head, coronay bands and spine

• Accelerometer/gyroscope (measures
  orientation and angular velocity) sensors
  attached to 1 forelimb and 1 hind limb
• Stance time and swing time can be inferred
  from data

Question 10

Differential Diagnoses DAMNIT-VP

Answer 10

• D – Degenerative, developmental
• A - Anomalous
• M – Metabolic, malformation
• N – Neoplastic, nutritional
• I – Inflammatory, infectious, immune-mediated, idiopathic, iatrogenic, inherited
• T – Traumatic, toxin
• V – Vascular
• P - Parasitic

Question 11

diagnostic tests for MSK conditions

Answer 11

-hoof testing: identify area of hoof pain

-flexion tests: * For horses, flexion tests may exacerbate a lameness
* Can help identify the painful site
* Caution as can also be positive with
underlying conditions

-nerve blocks/ joint blocks: helps localize lamness

-lab work

-imaging: rads (bone), ultrasound (soft tissue)
CT (joint conditions, complex fractures, IVDD)
MRI (ST, spinal cord, nerves, brain) nuclear scintigraphy

-thermography

-Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-CT