Equine Spinal Pathology
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Back-pain is a common issue in horses, potentially causing chronic pain, muscle wastage, reduced performance, and decreased ability to work.[1][2]
Obtaining a definitive diagnosis is, however, difficult because of difficulties accessing the area, variability in pain manifestations[1] and vague clinical signs.[2] There is also a lack of knowledge about the equine thoracolumbar spine (particularly its functional aspects) and the pathogenesis of back problems in horses.[2] Moreover, some horses can continue to perform well despite back pathology, but others will perform poorly in the absence of specific spinal dysfunction.[2]
Back problems in horses are often related to chronic or long-standing injuries. There may also be more than one spinal lesion affecting the horse’s performance and causing symptoms. It is, therefore, important to confirm if there are any secondary lesions in order to provide a realistic prognosis and develop an optimal management plan.[2]
Differential Diagnosis[edit | edit source]
Equine back disorders can be classified as primary or secondary.[2][3]
Primary Back Problems[edit | edit source]
Primary disorders relate to lesions in the spinal structures, including muscle, ligament, osseous / vertebral, and nerve injuries.[3] The following table, adapted from Hinchcliffe and colleagues, lists common primary back problems.[2]
| Soft Tissue Injury | Osseous Injury | Neurological Injury | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longissimus muscle strain | Conformational / developmental abnormality | Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis | Tack and saddle fit |
| Supraspinous ligament sprain or desmitis | Overriding dorsal spinous processes (OSP) | Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy | Idiopathic |
| Dorsal sacroiliac ligament sprain or desmitis | Osteoarthritis | Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis | |
| Exertional rhabdomyolysis | Vertebral fracture | Equine notor neuron disease | |
| Non-specific soft tissue injury | Spondylosis | ||
| Discospondylitis | |||
| Spinal neoplasia |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Riccio B, Fraschetto C, Villanueva J, Cantatore F, Bertuglia A. Two multicenter surveys on equine back-pain 10 years a part. Front Vet Sci. 2018;5:195.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Hinchcliff KW, Kaneps A, Geor R. Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery. 1st Edition. Saunders Ltd. 2004.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mayaki AM, Intan-Shameha AR, Noraniza MA, Mazlina M, Adamu L, Abdullah R. Clinical investigation of back disorders in horses: A retrospective study (2002-2017). Vet World. 2019;12(3):377-81.
