Upward Fixation of the Patella or Stifle Lock in Horses
  by Robert N. Oglesby DVM

The horses stifle is the same joint as the human knee. Just like the human knee there is a knee cap, the patella, a small flat bone that rides back and forth in the front of the femur. The patella connects the large muscles in the front of the upper leg with the long bone of the gaskin using three large ligaments. When this muscle contracts it pulls up on the patella and helps to straighten the leg out, ...image.

Unlike the human knee, the horse is able to hang the medial (inside) patellar ligament over a bony prominence of the femur, intentionally. By doing so the leg is locked in extension and the horse can rest and sleep standing up. Some horses have trouble with unintentional interference or even have the leg lock up and unable to flex normally. Even worse, the traditional surgical treatments for this condition have been found to cause permanent low grade lameness. This article consists of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prognosis for this condition.

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