Associations between pre-injury racing history and tibial and humeral fractures in Australian Thoroughbred racehorses

Whitton, R. Chris; Walmsley, EA; Wong, Adelene S. M.; Shannon, Sabrina; Frazer, E.J.; Williams, Neil; Guerow, J.F.; Hitchens, Peta L.

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2019.03.001

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The stress fractures most commonly diagnosed by NS occurred in the humerus and tibia. These findings are in agreement with the distribution of fractures reported in previous studies conducted in HK 9 and in Australian racehorses 13 . Furthermore, no significant differences were identified between the signalment and post‐recovery performance of horses that sustained either humeral or tibial stress fractures.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Furthermore, no significant differences were identified between the signalment and post‐recovery performance of horses that sustained either humeral or tibial stress fractures. This is in contrast with findings from Australia where racehorses that sustained either stress or complete humeral fractures had a higher median age but less previous racing experience than cases with stress or complete tibial fractures 11,13 . These differences may be due to the current study investigating horses within their first year in training in HK, rather than investigating the whole racing population, the interruption to race‐training associated with the importation process, or the difference in exposure to racing and age structure of the racehorse population in HK 9 .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 61%

“…The tibia and humerus are bones of the appendicular skeleton most commonly affected by stress fracture in racehorses in Hong Kong (HK) 9 . Comparisons between these two fractures have seldom been made, 13 despite their clinical significance 9 . Furthermore, the cost of stress fractures with regard to training days lost, and reductions in racing performance has received little investigation 9,11,13 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of stress fracture occurring within the first 12 months of training on subsequent race performance in Thoroughbreds in Hong Kong

Johnston

Sidhu

Riggs

et al. 2020

Equine Veterinary Journal

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Background Racehorses are at an increased risk of stress fracture within the first 12 months of racing and when resuming training after a break. Research in these high‐risk periods and on the effect of performance post‐recovery is limited. Objectives To describe the occurrence of stress fractures, diagnosed by nuclear scintigraphy (NS), in racehorses’ first 12 months training in Hong Kong, and their impact on racing performance and career length. Study design Retrospective 1:2 matched case‐control study. Methods Clinical records of horses with NS‐diagnosed stress fractures within 365 days of import between 2006 and 2018 were collated. Cases and controls were matched on import date. Univariable conditional logistic regression compared signallment, pre‐fracture training and post‐recovery racing performance between cases and matched controls. Shared Frailty Cox regression analysed time from import to fracture and total career length. Results Eighty‐seven horses sustained a NS‐diagnosed fracture within their first year in Hong Kong (incidence risk 1.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4%‐2.1%; N = 5180]). The humerus (42.0%; 95% CI 31.8%‐52.6%; n = 39) and tibia (28.0%; 95% CI 19.1%‐38.2%; n = 26) were the most common stress fracture sites. Cases missed a median of 63 days (Interquartile range (IQR) 49‐82) of training because of fracture. Within the 12 months following diagnosis, case horses had a median of four (IQR 2‐4, P < .0001) fewer race starts and were down HK$ 206 188 (IQR HK$ 0‐436 800, P = .007) in race earnings compared to controls. Career length did not significantly differ between cases and controls (median 2 years and 3 months; IQR 15.3‐39.1 months; P = .2). Main limitations Only stress fractures diagnosed by NS were included, hence, the study is not representative of all stress fractures occurring in racehorses in Hong Kong. Conclusions Racehorses sustaining a stress fracture within 1 year of entering Hong Kong lost significant time in training, earnings and race starts. However, overall career length was unaffected.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of stress fracture occurring within the first 12 months of training on subsequent race performance in Thoroughbreds in Hong Kong

Johnston

Sidhu

Riggs

et al. 2020

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…The outcomes measured were MSI (n = 1), carpal joint disease (n = 1), and dorsal metacarpal disease (n = 1). With every increase of 5 furlongs (1 km) of total cumulative HSE, the HR of MSI increased by 9%, although this was not significant (HR There were five studies examining the effect of the total career cumulative HSE distance on MSI and reporting odds ratios as the effect size [21,[57][58][59][60]. Studies were conducted in the USA (number of studies = 3), Japan (n = 1), and Australia (n = 1).…”

Section: The Effect Of Cumulative Hse Distance On Risk Of Msimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Five studies examined the effect of the average HSE distance per event on MSI using odds ratios as the effect size [21,31,58,59,62]. Contributing studies were from the USA (n = 3), Australia (n = 1), and Japan (n = 1) and the injuries evaluated were fatal proximal sesamoid bone fracture (n = 1), MSI (n = 1), catastrophic MSI (n = 1), superficial digital flexor tendonitis (n = 1), and catastrophic scapular fracture (n = 1).…”

Section: The Effect Of the Rate Of Hse Distance Accumulation On Risk Of Msimentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Combined Training and Racing High-Speed Exercise History on Musculoskeletal Injuries in Thoroughbred Racehorses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Current Literature

Crawford

Ahern

Perkins

et al. 2020

Animals

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Despite over three decades of active research, musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) remain a global problem for the Thoroughbred (TB) racing industry. High-speed exercise history (HSEH) has been identified as an important risk factor for MSI. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear, with an apparent protective effect of HSE against injury, before it becomes potentially harmful. Many MSI cases and fatalities occur during training rather than during racing, resulting in an underestimation of injury from studies focused on race day. The objective of this study was to examine the current evidence of the effect of combined training and racing HSEH on MSI in TB flat racehorses, through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A systematic search of the relevant literature was performed using PubMed®, Scopus®, Web of Science®, and Embase® online databases and the gray literature using sites containing “.edu” or “.edu.au”. Studies included in the review had explored seven different measures of HSE, including total career HSE distance, cumulative HSE distance in the 30 and 60 days before MSI, average HSE distance per day, per event and per 30 days, and the total number of HSE events. The total cumulative career HSE distance significantly affected the odds of MSI, with every 5-furlong increase, the odds of MSI increased by 2% (OR = 1.02; 95% CI 1.01, 1.03; p = 0.004). The average HSE distance per day also affected the odds of MSI, with every additional furlong increasing the odds of MSI by 73% (OR = 1.73; 95% CI 1.29, 2.31; p < 0.001). Other measures of HSE were not found to be consistently associated with risk of MSI, but these results should be interpreted with caution. Significant methodological limitations were identified and influence the comparability of studies. Standardizing the measures of HSE in studies of MSI, and describing training conditions in more detail, would support a more thorough investigation of the relationship between HSE and MSI. An improved understanding of this relationship is critical to mitigating the impact of MSI in the Thoroughbred racehorse.

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Fractures of the Tibia

Richardson¹,

Ortved²

2022

Fractures in the Horse

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Associations between pre-injury racing history and tibial and humeral fractures in Australian Thoroughbred racehorses

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

The effect of stress fracture occurring within the first 12 months of training on subsequent race performance in Thoroughbreds in Hong Kong

The effect of stress fracture occurring within the first 12 months of training on subsequent race performance in Thoroughbreds in Hong Kong

The Effect of Combined Training and Racing High-Speed Exercise History on Musculoskeletal Injuries in Thoroughbred Racehorses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Current Literature

Fractures of the Tibia

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