Tendons and Ligaments Flashcards
Tendons connect ______ to ______
muscle to bone
Tendon function
facilitate movement, can provide some support/stabilization
How are tendons named:
for their location and primary function
Important tendons in the front and hind limbs:
-deep digital flexor
-superficial digital flexor
-digital extensor
Ligaments connect ______ to ______
bone to bone
Ligaments function
provide support and stabilization
Collateral ligaments
located on medial and lateral sides of joints, usually positioned vertically
Cruciate ligaments
usually located intro-articularly, form an “X” pattern
Suspensory ligaments
function to “suspend” a bone/bones or joints
Important ligaments in the front and rear limbs:
-suspensory ligament (interosseous)
-extensor branch
-sesamoidian ligaments (intersesamoidian and distal sesamoidian)
Ligaments in the rear leg
stifle: patellar ligaments
hock: plantar ligaments
Similarities between ligaments and tendons
-dense band of connective tissue (mostly collagen) organized in a parallel and overlapping fibers
-semi-elastic
Differences between ligaments and tensons
-function (some high motion tendons may have a sheath)
-blood supply
Do tendons or ligaments have a higher blood supply?
tendons - because they’re connected to muscle
Do tendons or ligaments heal better/faster?
tendons because they have a better blood supply
Tenocytes
-specialized fibroblasts
-main function is to produce collagen
-located in tendon fibers
Tendon fibers
-have tenocytes
-has crimp so they can expand/contract
-made out of collagen
Tendinities
inflammation of a tendon
Desmitis
inflammation of a ligament
Consequences of tendon or ligament injuries:
-bowed tendon
-dropped fetlock
-curb
Curb
damage to the plantar ligament
Bowed tendon
damage to either the deep or superficial digital flexor tendon
Dropped fetlock
damage to the suspensory apparatus (sesamoidian ligaments, bones, etc.)
Causes of fiber damage in tendons and ligaments:
-trauma/laceration
-acute overload
-repeated load and gradual degeneration
Too much inflammation can…
cause more damage
Response to injury to fibers
-hemorrhage
-clotting
-inflammatory response (heat, pain, swelling)
Inflammatory cells…
bring more blood to the site
What begins repair to an injury?
fibroblasts
What do fibroblasts do?
synthesize collagen at injury site
(collagen is not organized and not attached to current fibers)
About how long does it take for inflammation to decrease?
1-2 months
When is pain reduced by?
about 2 months
What happens at 2-6 months of healing?
-collagen organizes
-connects to old fibers
-mild exercise
-minimize adhesions
What does mild exercise do during healing?
helps to stretch and align the fibers and minimize adhesions
What happens at 6-9 months of healing?
-healing completes
-may or may not return to original strength
-may be less elastic than original
Diagnosis of injury
-heat, pain, swelling
-ultrasound
What to look for in an ultrasound of a tendon/ligament injury
-fiber alignment
-cross sectional area
-length
Treatment of injury at the time of injury
Goal: limit further damage
-rest, support wraps
Goal: control inflammation
-cold hosing
-NSAIDS
Medical/surgical/physical interventions for injury treatment:
-continue to control inflammation
-regenerative/biologic therapies
-rehabilitation and hoof care
Regenerative/biologic therapies:
-platelet rich plasma (PRP)
-stem cells
-both have anti-inflammatory roles and may contribute growth factors to promote healing
-hand walking (if able)
Rehabilitation and hoof care
-gradual exercise
-monitor healing with ultrasound
-hoof balance and shoeing is important
Prognosis of an injury:
-depends on the extent of the injury
-depends on the horse’s job (may return to lower level of work/competition)
-may be sustainable to re-injury
What takes the longest to heal?
ligaments
What takes the shortest amount of time to heal?
bone
