Navicular syndrome is a disease of the navicular bone that affects the equine family especially horses. The condition is caused by degeneration and inflammation of the bone and supporting tissues. Failure to take fast and effective measures to treat navicular disease can cause serious or disabling lameness. Equine forelimb anatomy needs to be understood first for one to understand this problem well.
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.
Pain can be noticed because the affected animal displays a tiptoe gait due to paining heels. They also show frequent stumbling. Normally both front feet are affected although in most cases, one foot is normally more affected. Lameness may also switch from one foot to the other without any form of consistency. Walking the horse on hard surfaces or in circles worsens the situation. There is a change in the shape of the foot experiencing most pain after months of suffering.
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.
Another cause is tension imposed on supporting ligaments for the navicular bone. According to some professionals, too much tension results into strain and inflammation of the impar ligament. Such strain and inflammation ends into decreased blood flow to and from the bone. Arteries get less compressed than veins causing blood flow to the bone more obstructed than blood flow away from the bone. This causes increased blood pressure. Too much tension may cause exostoses or tearing in the ligaments.
The third cause is toe-first landing. This event mostly happens due to misalignment of lower joints. The landings place a lot of strain on deep digital flexor tendon and bone and may culminate into modifications in the bones. Other causes for toe-first landing are over-trimming of frog and heel, long toes, and poor shoeing.
Major factors that contribute to the syndrome are shoeing, work, body weight, and conformation. Conformational defects especially those which promote concussion are the major contributing factors. Conformational defects include low heels with long toes, significant downhill build, small feet, upright pasterns, and narrow and upright feet. These defects contribute by causing constant stress on tendons, ligaments, and bones in feet. The syndrome may also develop due to galloping, jumping, and working on steep terrains.
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.
Pain can be noticed because the affected animal displays a tiptoe gait due to paining heels. They also show frequent stumbling. Normally both front feet are affected although in most cases, one foot is normally more affected. Lameness may also switch from one foot to the other without any form of consistency. Walking the horse on hard surfaces or in circles worsens the situation. There is a change in the shape of the foot experiencing most pain after months of suffering.
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.
Another cause is tension imposed on supporting ligaments for the navicular bone. According to some professionals, too much tension results into strain and inflammation of the impar ligament. Such strain and inflammation ends into decreased blood flow to and from the bone. Arteries get less compressed than veins causing blood flow to the bone more obstructed than blood flow away from the bone. This causes increased blood pressure. Too much tension may cause exostoses or tearing in the ligaments.
The third cause is toe-first landing. This event mostly happens due to misalignment of lower joints. The landings place a lot of strain on deep digital flexor tendon and bone and may culminate into modifications in the bones. Other causes for toe-first landing are over-trimming of frog and heel, long toes, and poor shoeing.
Major factors that contribute to the syndrome are shoeing, work, body weight, and conformation. Conformational defects especially those which promote concussion are the major contributing factors. Conformational defects include low heels with long toes, significant downhill build, small feet, upright pasterns, and narrow and upright feet. These defects contribute by causing constant stress on tendons, ligaments, and bones in feet. The syndrome may also develop due to galloping, jumping, and working on steep terrains.
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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