Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse suddenly very lame - what are avulsion fractures?
By Bramlage, L R et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1980·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Avulsion fractures of the origin of the suspensory ligament of the horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Five horses were found to have a specific type of injury called an avulsion fracture, which is when a piece of bone is pulled away by a ligament, affecting the suspensory ligament in their legs. These horses showed sudden lameness, with four being very lame and one moderately lame. Diagnosing the injury was tricky because typical pain relief methods didn't help during the initial check-up. However, when the area was treated with a local anesthetic, the horses were able to walk normally again. After resting for a few weeks to six months, depending on how long the injury had been present, all the horses returned to racing without any lameness.
Abstract
Five horses with avulsion fractures of the proximal origin of the suspensory ligament were examined for lameness. The horses in the series each had lameness of acute onset; four were severely lame, and one was moderately lame. The condition was difficult to diagnose because commonly used local anesthetic blocks did not result in improvement during the routine examination. Local infiltration of the area with local anesthetic returned the horses to soundness. After a period of rest, varying from a few weeks in the acute injury to 6 months in the chronic injuries, the horses were returned to racing without lameness.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7380714/