Page 112 - Barrel Stallion Register 2019

MENISCUS INJURIES
by Heather Smith Thomas
The stifle is the largest and strongest joint in the horse’s hind leg. It is composed of three bones, two menisci and 14 ligaments. The stifle consists of three separate joints all
Gary Baxter, VMD, MS, Hospital Director at University of Georgia, says that medial meniscal inju- ries are one of the more common injuries seen in the medial joint. This is usually
a tearing of the meniscus, the
fibrous tissue at the top of the
tibia in the stifle joint. The
meniscus is attached to the
tibia by several ligaments and
some of those ligaments are
also often injured when the
meniscus is injured, especially
the medial collateral ligament
that keeps the stifle aligned.
Additionally, any of the other
ligaments that hold the menis-
cus in place can be disrupted.
“Younger horses, particularly cutting horses, barrel horses, or any athletes that do much stopping and turning, may have some extra fluid in the stifles and may not be lame, but we still have to be suspicious that there is something wrong in the joint.”
Heather Smith Thomas
hooked together, with the first joint between the femur and the patella at the front
of the stifle. The other two joints are between the femur and the tibia, one on the inside (medial side) and the other on the outside (lateral side) of the limb. These three joint compartments are filled with lubricating fluid.
Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR, owner of Midwest Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine, says the combination of inflammation and physical insult can result in tearing or disruption of the meniscus.
Gary Baxter, VMD, MS, Hospital Director at University of Georgia, says that many injuries of the meniscus are due to cumulative damage over time.
“The meniscus is a fibro-
cartilaginous pad that fills
the space between the round
contour of the distal femur and
the flat top of the tibia,” says
Scott McClure, DVM, PhD,
DACVS, DACVSMR, owner
of Midwest Equine Surgery and
Sports Medicine. “It maintains
some padding and congruency
between the femur and the
tibia. The meniscus fills in that joint and helps keep everything aligned and stable. It serves as a cupping device to allow the round femur to fit on top of the flat tibia,” he explains.
“Sometimes one of these
ligaments is injured, along with
injury to the meniscus itself.
Generally, the seriousness of the
injury is related to how badly
damaged the meniscus is. It may not be very serious, but a true tear of the meniscus can cause consider- able lameness and a lot of swelling in the stifle. At
the other end of the spectrum, a little fraying of the meniscus may not cause much problem at all, in terms of lameness,” says Baxter.
Stifle
Femur
Patella (Knee Cap) Tibia
“We don’t always know whether a meniscus injury is a one-time traumatic event or the result of
The stifle, which is the largest and strongest joint in the horse’s hind leg, consists of three separate joints hooked together. The first joint is between the femur and the patella at the front of the stifle, with the other two joints located between the femur and the tibia.
110 SPEEDHORSE
EQUINE HEALTH