Horses are at risk of adverse effects anytime they receive injections. However, researchers recently determined that stem cell injection site reactions in horses were uncommon in the population they studied.
Cranial nuchal bursitis occurs when nuchal ligament (located near the horse’s poll) bursae become inflamed and sometimes infected. It generally causes pain, limited head and neck flexion, and poor performance.
Read top tweets and take-home messages from industry experts on common racing injuries, their approach to effective rehab and what they’ve seen horses go on to do after recovery.
Tendons and ligaments are meant stretch and flex. So it must be bad news when hard material forms within them, right? Not necessarily, researchers say.
Researchers have determined that the matrix—a stretchy, sticky, weblike structure within the tendon—loses its resistance over time. This could play a role in tendon problems in old horses.
Learn how to manage this incurable disease that causes debilitating lameness in horses.
Researchers found horses treated for superficial digital flexor tendonitis with a new biologic product recovered better than those that received a placebo.
German researchers found hoof angle changes affect horses differently and might create new problems.
Researchers performed diagnostic imaging on Standardbreds’ limbs to pick up early signs of damage to bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They noted more serious lesions—and more lesions in general—in horses trained only on a firm surface.
Once the biomarkers identified in this study are confirmed through more tests and larger samples, scientists might be able to develop treatments to prevent chronic pain, researchers said.
Collaborative efforts among horse health researchers, the racing industry, and governments could lead to effective measures that will improve safety for both horses and jockeys, one equitation scientist says.
Scientists hope an estimation of the forces applied to the ligaments and tendons can be used to test the soft-tissue structures’ strain when the limb is faced with variable footing and ground reaction forces.
The ultimate goal of any post-mortem exam program is to mitigate racehorse injury risk and, in turn, that of the exercise riders and jockeys involved.
Lameness and neurologic disorders can impact equine postural stability—how a horse holds himself up in a standing position—and measuring it can help veterinarians diagnose certain disorders.
Applying shock wave therapy immediately following PRP injection into injured soft-tissue structures might help increase the concentrations of growth factors released from the platelets, researchers found.
When cases are selected appropriately, the complication rate is very low and the prognosis for a full return to work is very good, one veterinarian says.
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