How Does A Horse Become Navicular?
At present, the exact primary cause of Navicular Syndrome is not known. Damage to the navicular bone may occur due to interference with blood supply or trauma to the bone. Damage can occur to the deep flexor tendon, navicular bursa, or navicular ligaments all resulting in pain and lameness.
This can appear suddenly, but a more common pattern is mild lameness that becomes progressively worse over time. A horse with navicular syndrome feels pain in the heels of the front feet, and its movements reflect attempts to keep pressure off this area.
Several complications can occur, such as painful neuroma formation, rupture of the deep digital flexor tendon, and injuries to the distal limbs with a neurectomy. Prevention of navicular disease includes maintaining a balanced foot, heel support, and exercising the horse on the ground with sound footing.
Navicular syndrome is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 4 and 15 years of age. It is most common in Quarter Horses, Paint Horses, Appaloosas, Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds. The exact cause of navicular disease is unknown.
Navicular disease is estimated to be responsible for 1/3 of all chronic lamenesses, the most commonly affected breed being the Quarter Horse.
A history of intermittent low grade or recurrent lameness is suggestive of navicular disease. Affected horses often appear to place the toe down first, as if trying not to put weight on their heels (in contrast to laminitis), and the lameness is worse on the inside leg on a circle.
Pain directly associated with DDFT tension and/or indirectly associated with the navicular apparatus is the most common form of pathology causing horses to trip up front. The pain perceived as natural breakover is approached may overwhelm the animal and prompt premature lifting of the limb.
Turn your horse out in a pasture or paddock all day every day, if possible, and limit his time in the stall. If he’s still sound enough to ride, try to do so only on soft footing. Depending on the severity of his condition, you might also want to avoid riding him on circles or longeing.
Farriery Causes
The failure to achieve correct medial-lateral hoof balance may lead to coronary band shunting and undue strain on medial or lateral aspects of the navicular joint and navicular suspensory ligaments.
With early diagnosis and proper treatment, a horse with navicular syndrome may still have a useful life for a considerable period of time. Navicular syndrome is a chronic degenerative condition that can cause lameness in the front legs. It is most commonly seen in competition horses and quarter horses.
In many cases therapeutic shoeing may help those horses diagnosed with navicular syndrome. The egg-bar shoe has long since been the choice of many veterinarians to apply in cases of palmar heel pain. Unfortunately, one shoeing application does not work for all navicular syndrome cases.
Diagnosing navicular syndrome in horses
They are likely to review the whole clinical picture, assessing the feet and shoeing, together with the way in which the horse moves, a well as performing flexion tests and nerve blocks to assess the affected area to see if this reduces the lameness.
It will take about 6 weeks for most people to heal. The goals of treatment are to manage pain and support the bone as it heals. This may include: Medicine to ease pain and swelling.
The navicular is the last bone in the foot to ossify. In girls, the navicular anlage ossifies between 18-24 months and in boys 30-36 months 4.
While navicular syndrome causes pain in the heel of the hoof, laminitis results in dorsal (toe) pain. Laminitis may involve rotation of the coffin bone, sinking of the coffin bone, or a combination of the two. Laminitis resulting in sinking is often referred to as fatal sinker syndrome.
Accessory navicular syndrome (ANS) can cause significant pain in the mid-foot and arch, especially with activity. Redness and swelling may develop over this bony prominence, as well as extreme sensitivity to pressure. Sometimes people may be unable to wear shoes because the area is too sensitive.
Navicular stress fractures are often caused by repetitive stress placed on the foot. The injury usually happens to athletes who play sports that involve running, jumping, or twisting. These activities pinch the navicular between the ankle bone and the cuneiform bones. Over time, this force can cause a stress fracture.
Fracture and arthritis are common causes of pain. Less common but other important causes of Navicular pain include ligament injury, irritation of low back nerves, and Accessory Navicular syndrome. Don’t be sidelined by ongoing foot pain.
As such, hoof boots are essential to relieve the pain from navicular in your horse on his way to recovery.
Nonsurgical treatment of navicular syndrome consists of rest, hoof balance and corrective trimming/shoeing, and medical therapy, including administration of systemic antiinflammatories, hemorheologic medications, and intraarticular medications.
Reports on the prevalences of navicular disease indicate that radiological alterations in the navicular bone are present in different warmblood populations at frequencies of between 14.9% and 87.6%. Genetic factors play an important role in the development of the radiological signs.
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