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Suspensory apparatus injury of fetlockand cannon bone condylar fractures
Musculoskeletal injuries cause 80 percent of deaths in California Thoroughbred racehorses, according to a University ofCalifornia, Davis study. Fetlock suspensory apparatus injuries cause 35 percent of those deaths. A 3Q-horse race bamaverages four horses a month with mild su pensory apparatu injuries. Cannonbone fractures cause an additional 20 percent of deaths. The predominant cannonbone injury i a condylar fracture into the fetlock joint. Suspen ory apparatus injuryand cannon bone condylar fracture are two major cause of fetlock injury andbreakdown. Both injuries can occur in the same horse, and it is su pected that bothare caused by overloading the fetlock joint. Researchers want to know if these twofetlock injuries are related. Some factors (e.g. toe grabs) are known to increase ri kfor suspen ory apparatu injuries. If the fetlock injuries are related, managing riskfactors for uspen ory apparatus injury should decrease both suspensory apparatuinjuries and cannon bone fractures.
A study i underway at UCD with the long-term goal of preventing injury tothe fetlock joint in equine athletes. Specifically the study aims to identify a relationship between suspen ory apparatus injury and cannon bone condylar fracture andany common risk factors, and to determine if initial suspensory apparatus injuryincreases the likelihood of condylar fracture.
Researchers will examine the limbs of 155 deceased Thoroughbred racehorses(31 which died due to cannon bone condylar fracture and 124 which died for otherreason ) to identify evidence of su pen ory apparatus injury. Known ri k factorsfor suspensory apparatus failure and fatal skeletal fractures will be monitored,including: height of toe grabs on horseshoes (from visual examination); andexercise intensity (through examination of training and racing records). Researchers will u e tati tical methods to determine whether toe grab and exerci eintensity increase risk for condylar fracture, and if having a suspensory apparatusinjury further increases risk.for condylar fracture beyond that due to toe grab andexercise history.
If u pen ory apparatus injury i found to be a predi posing factor for cannonbone condylar fracture, then preventing suspensory apparatus injury should preventcannon bone condylar fracture as well. Further, if horse with a uspensoryapparatus injury are prevented from racing until the suspensory apparatus injury isre olved, cannon bone condylar fractures hould decrease (as well as catastrophicsuspensory apparatus failures). This will decrease injuries, enhance afety, and leadto increased duration and quality of performance for racehorses. This study willalso provide additional evidence regarding the relationship between toe grabs andmu culo keletal injury.
Distal metacarpal condyle fractures
Speaking at the Bain-Fallon Lectures, Dr. Wayne McIlwraith aid the mostcommon fracture, in racing Thoroughbred , is of the lateral condyle. The clinical From Proceedings of the Twenty-Secondigns include lamenes ,synovial effusion, and respon e to flexion. The lamene Bain-Fallon Memorial Lectures.
can be very severe. The diagnosis is made on radiograph and the fracture isdefined well on a DP view. The fracture can be incomplete, complete nondi placedor complete and displaced. In complete fractures, careful asse ment should bemade for other concomitant injury, including axial fragments of the esamoid bones(seen on a DP view) and chip fractures in the palmar aspect of the fracture line( een on the pecial kyline view of the distal palmar metacarpu ).
Fractures of the medial condyle of the metacarpu aI 0 occur. They arediagnosed in the ame fashion with an AP radiograph. U ually these fracture linesstart at the articular surface of the distal metacarpus and "disappear" up into thecentral area of the metacarpu .
Volume 20, Number 9, 2000 565