Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse not putting weight on back leg after injury - what could be
By Morisset, S et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1999·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High intraosseous pressure as a cause of lameness in a horse with a degloving injury of the metatarsus.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old Paint mare developed severe lameness in her right hind leg after suffering a degloving injury. Despite various tests, veterinarians couldn't find the cause of her pain until they measured the pressure inside the bone, which was much higher in the injured leg than in the healthy one. They performed a procedure called fenestration to relieve the pressure, and the next day, her lameness significantly improved. This suggests that the high pressure was likely due to swelling and inflammation, which the treatment successfully addressed.
People also search for: horse lameness treatment · Paint mare leg injury · degloving injury horse care
Abstract
A 6-year-old Paint mare undergoing treatment for a degloving injury of the right metatarsus developed a non-weight-bearing lameness 19 days after admission. Diagnostic nerve blocks localized the source of pain to the area between the tarsus and the metatarsophalangeal joint. Radiography of the metatarsus and metatarsophalangeal joint, arthrocentesis of the metatarsophalangeal joint, and ultrasonography of the flexor tendons, flexor tendon sheath, and suspensory ligament failed to identify the cause of the lameness. The horse was anesthetized and intraosseous pressure was measured in the left and right third metatarsal bones, using a self-tapping cannulated screw attached to a pressure transducer. Pressure in the affected limb (46 mm Hg) was 3.5 times as high as pressure in the unaffected limb (13 mm Hg). The day after pressures were measured and fenestration was performed, signs of lameness were substantially improved. High intraosseous pressure in the affected limb was most likely secondary to edema, inflammation, and partial venous thrombosis, in combination with bone neovascularization, that impaired intraosseous venous drainage from the medullary cavity. Fenestration of the affected bone relieved the excessive pressure and allowed for resolution of pain.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10579046/