Diagnosis and Treatment of Equine Joint Disease

and identifying any swelling at an early stage might help in the early diagnosis of joint disease.
Palpation Palpating or feeling your horses joint is an easy method to identify potential inflammation. Familiarize yourself with basic joint anatomy and know what is normal and which lumps should and shouldnt be there. You may also use the opposite leg of your horse for comparison. When you are feeling your horses leg check for any signs of heat swelling pain and reduced range of motion.
If you suspect any signs of inflammation speak to your vet. Veterinarians have a wide range of diagnostic tools at their disposal.
is important to work closely with your veterinarian to properly diagnose and design an appropriate treatment program for your horse. Here are a few diagnostic tools that vets use to help in the diagnosis of joint disease.
During a clinical examination your vet might perform any number of tests including flexion test and nerve blocks anesthetic blocks to help pinpoint any jointrelated lameness. Other tools described below are used alone or in conjunction to help in the diagnosis of the joint disease.
Serum biomarkers Early detection of changes in bone and cartilage Serum biomarkers have been shown to be very useful in early diagnosis of joint disease. A biomarker is a substanceelement that is measured and used to indicate the status of a metabolic process inside the horses body. Biomarkers inside the synovial fluid and blood serum can be measured to detect changes in the joint. For example when articular cartilage is degraded there is a breakdown of collagen and the subsequent release of molecules and enzymes such as proteoglycans can be detected in blood or synovial samples. An increase in these enzymes measured in the blood might indicate joint disease.
The primary goal in the treatment of joint disease is