The spine of the athlete horse: Review

Barreto, Gabrielle de Almeida; Negrucci, Marina Albers; Pessinatti, Bárbara Dezotti

doi:10.31533/pubvet.v15n06a844.1-8

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…Back pain and diseases of the spine are considered significant problems in both equine sports and veterinary medicine ( Fonseca et al, 2006 ; Melo & Ferreira, 2020 ; Barreto et al, 2021 ). However, reports of their incidence are limited to surveys from general practice in private clinics or educational institutions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal therapy for treatment of equine back pain: a report of 15 cases

Melo

Ferreira²

2021

Braz. J. Vet. Med.

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Back pain and diseases of the spine are considered significant problems in equine sports and veterinary medicine. This article reports a multimodal approach to the treatment of equine back pain using ozonized platelet rich plasma (PRP), dynamic mobilization exercises, and therapeutic shoeing in 15 horses involved in the vaquejada discipline. Fifteen American Quarter Horses of both sexes engaged in vaquejada in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, with a mean age of 8.61 ± 1.73 years were examined at a training center for lower performance diagnostics or back pain. A complete clinical examination was performed on all horses at rest to determine the general conformation and alterations in posture, symmetry, and curvature of the spine. The horses were examined while walking and trotting in straight lines and circles to determine the presence of lameness and/or gait asymmetry. Spinal abnormalities on clinical examination were classified on a scale of 0 to 5 based on the following parameters: degree of response to pain from back palpation, hypertonicity of the back muscles, stiffness of the thoracolumbar joint, and physical dysfunction. After physical examination, ultrasound was performed to identify the cause of the thoracolumbar pain. The therapeutic protocol consisted of the intralesional application of ozonized PRP combined with therapeutic ultrasound, dynamic mobilization exercises, and therapeutic shoeing. All treated animals returned to sports activities at a higher level of performance than at the beginning of the treatment. Six months after treatment, telephone contact was made with the owner or trainer to determine if the back pain had relapsed. None of the animals relapsed during this period, and they participated in vaquejada normally.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal therapy for treatment of equine back pain: a report of 15 cases

Melo

Ferreira²

2021

Braz. J. Vet. Med.

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The Detection of Thoracolumbar Spine Injuries in Horses with Chronic Laminitis Using a Novel Clinical-Assessment Protocol and Ultrasonographic Examination

Guedes,

Vendruscolo,

Tokawa

et al. 2024

Animals

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Postural adaptation is a prominent feature in horses affected by laminitis. Laminitis induces intense pain, especially in the forelimbs, prompting affected horses to assume a caudally displaced trunk posture, resulting in the hyperflexion of the thoracolumbar spine. This study assessed the nature and prevalence of thoracolumbar injuries in horses with chronic laminitis compared to horses without it. Sixty horses were used (thirty laminitic and thirty non-laminitic) of different athletic purposes and ages (2–20 years). The experimental protocol entailed a single assessment of horses’ thoracolumbar spines, utilizing physical examination by MACCTORE, a scoring system developed specifically for this study. Additional evaluations included the Grimace Equine Pain Scale (HGS) and ultrasound exams. Statistical tests were used to compare values (Mann–Whitney or t-test) and lesions prevalences (Fisher) between groups (p < 0.05). The results showed a higher pain manifestation (HGS and heart rate, p < 0.0001) and thoracolumbar-spine-injury levels in chronic laminitis horses, both in MACCTORE clinical examinations (11.7 ± 4.8 vs. 4.2 ± 3.3, p < 0.0001) and general ultrasonographic indices (39.6 ± 12.0 vs. 20.7 ± 7.1, p < 0.0001), including specific examination approaches for various spinal elements. Horses with laminitis presented with a 14-fold higher prevalence of ultrasound-relevant lesions in the thoracolumbar spine (CI: 4.4 to 50.6, p < 0.0001) compared to controls. These findings constitute new evidence of an association between chronic laminitis and the presence of thoracolumbar spine injuries in horses, which may be confirmed by more sophisticated study designs.

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The spine of the athlete horse: Review

Cited by 2 publications

References 6 publications

Multimodal therapy for treatment of equine back pain: a report of 15 cases

Multimodal therapy for treatment of equine back pain: a report of 15 cases

The Detection of Thoracolumbar Spine Injuries in Horses with Chronic Laminitis Using a Novel Clinical-Assessment Protocol and Ultrasonographic Examination

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