Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gracilis muscle injury as a cause of lameness in two horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2004
- Authors:
- Dabareiner, Robin M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two female Quarter Horses that raced barrels suffered serious injuries to their gracilis muscle, which is important for movement. The exact location of the injuries was found using a local anesthetic, and an ultrasound was used to check how bad the tears were and to see if there was any fluid buildup. One of the horses developed a condition called fibrotic myopathy, which caused stiffness, about three months after the injury and needed surgery to fix it. Both horses were able to return to barrel racing after about five to six months. Overall, while most horses with this type of injury can recover well enough to race again, there is a chance they might have ongoing issues with their movement.
Abstract
Injury to the gracilis muscle can cause acute, severe lameness in horses. Two female Quarter Horses that were used for barrel racing sustained gracilis muscle tear injuries. The site of injury was localized by direct infiltration of the area with mepivacaine. The extent of muscle tearing and seroma formation was determined via ultrasonographic evaluation. One horse developed fibrotic myopathy approximately 3 months after the original injury and underwent surgery to transect a palpable fibrous band at the previous injury site. Both horses returned to barrel racing 5 to 6 months after the injury These results suggest that horses sustaining a gracilis muscle injury have a good prognosis for returning to athletic use after an adequate period of muscle healing; however, fibrotic myopathy or muscle atrophy could be a complication of the injury resulting in persistent gait deficits.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15154733/