Arthrodesis (Joint Fusion) for the Treatment of Arthritis and Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) in Horses
  by Robert N. Oglesby DVM

This is a companion piece to the article on chronic arthritis or degenerative joint disease. To understand this article the one on DJD should be studied first, see: Arthritis and DJD an Overview.

As degenerative joint disease progresses the cartilage in the joints wears away exposing bone to bone. If the joint is one of very low motion it is possible for the bone to fuse across the joint stabilizing the structure and improving the lameness. This fusing process is called arthrodesis and can be a natural process of severely effected low motion joints. Since these joints do not contribute substantially to the movement and bending of the leg their fusion does not effect movement noticeably yet can relieve the pain of the arthritis. By surgically or medically fusing these joints with degenerative joint disease you can hasten the process and often return the horse to usably sound. This article discusses the procedures and presents the result of the past 25 years of scientific studies on this procedure.

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