Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment For Navicular Disease
By Annabelle Holman
Navicular syndrome is a disease in horses that affects the navicular bone. The condition normally results because of inflammation or degeneration of the bone and the tissues that surround it. Serious or disabling lameness can result if navicular disease is not taken care of fast and effectively. To understand this problem well, one needs to have a good understanding of equine forelimb anatomy.
There are many signs of this problem in horses. One of the major signs is pain in the heel. Lameness begins mildly and intermittently and then progresses to serious levels. Lameness results due to several reasons including erosion of cartilage, increased pressure within the hoof, reduced blood flow, damage of bones and tendons, and inflammation of supporting ligaments.
One can notice if the animal is feeling pain by observing the walking posture. Some display a tiptoe gait because of hurting heels and stumble more frequently. Both front feet normally get affected with one being worse than the other. Lameness sometimes switches feet without any observable pattern. The situation is worsened if the horse walks in circles or hard surfaces. After months of pain, the foot experiencing most pain starts to change shape.
There are many causes and contributing factors for this condition in equines. The first cause is compression of navicular bone under the DDF tendon. It takes several months of repeated compression in this region for cartilage degeneration to occur. Cartilage degeneration causes it to flatten and become less springy hence losing its ability to absorb shock. Cartilage erosion may also occur in some cases. Some researchers have found a connection between this condition and osteoarthritis, therefore similar therapeutic regimes may be suggested.
Tension on ligaments that support the navicular bone is also a cause. Some professionals believe that inflammation and stress is caused in the impar ligament because of too much tension. The strain and inflammation causes blood flow from and to the bone to decrease. Blood flowing to the bone is less obstructed than that leaving because arteries are less compressed than veins. As a result there is a built up of blood pressure. Ligaments are torn and exostoses caused if tension is too great.
The third most common cause is toe-first landing. Toe-first landing results from misaligned lower joints in most cases. Bones and deep digital flexor tendons are strained with this landing causing bones to be modified. Poor shoeing, over-trimming of heels or frog, and long toes also lead to toe-first landing.
Major contributing factors are conformation, shoeing, work, and body weight. Conformational defects are major contributing factors especially those that promote concussion. Such defects include narrow and upright feet, long toes with low heels, small feet, significant downhill build, and upright pasterns. All these defects contribute to constant stress on the bones, tendons, and ligaments in feet. Jumping, galloping, and working on steep terrain is also a major contributing factor to development of the syndrome.
There are many treatment options for this disease. Some of them include trimming, hoof care, exercise, medication, and surgery. There is however no single treatment option that works for all cases. Some options have to be combined for the syndrome to be fully healed.
There are many signs of this problem in horses. One of the major signs is pain in the heel. Lameness begins mildly and intermittently and then progresses to serious levels. Lameness results due to several reasons including erosion of cartilage, increased pressure within the hoof, reduced blood flow, damage of bones and tendons, and inflammation of supporting ligaments.
One can notice if the animal is feeling pain by observing the walking posture. Some display a tiptoe gait because of hurting heels and stumble more frequently. Both front feet normally get affected with one being worse than the other. Lameness sometimes switches feet without any observable pattern. The situation is worsened if the horse walks in circles or hard surfaces. After months of pain, the foot experiencing most pain starts to change shape.
There are many causes and contributing factors for this condition in equines. The first cause is compression of navicular bone under the DDF tendon. It takes several months of repeated compression in this region for cartilage degeneration to occur. Cartilage degeneration causes it to flatten and become less springy hence losing its ability to absorb shock. Cartilage erosion may also occur in some cases. Some researchers have found a connection between this condition and osteoarthritis, therefore similar therapeutic regimes may be suggested.
Tension on ligaments that support the navicular bone is also a cause. Some professionals believe that inflammation and stress is caused in the impar ligament because of too much tension. The strain and inflammation causes blood flow from and to the bone to decrease. Blood flowing to the bone is less obstructed than that leaving because arteries are less compressed than veins. As a result there is a built up of blood pressure. Ligaments are torn and exostoses caused if tension is too great.
The third most common cause is toe-first landing. Toe-first landing results from misaligned lower joints in most cases. Bones and deep digital flexor tendons are strained with this landing causing bones to be modified. Poor shoeing, over-trimming of heels or frog, and long toes also lead to toe-first landing.
Major contributing factors are conformation, shoeing, work, and body weight. Conformational defects are major contributing factors especially those that promote concussion. Such defects include narrow and upright feet, long toes with low heels, small feet, significant downhill build, and upright pasterns. All these defects contribute to constant stress on the bones, tendons, and ligaments in feet. Jumping, galloping, and working on steep terrain is also a major contributing factor to development of the syndrome.
There are many treatment options for this disease. Some of them include trimming, hoof care, exercise, medication, and surgery. There is however no single treatment option that works for all cases. Some options have to be combined for the syndrome to be fully healed.
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