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  Discussion on Knee lameness
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Posted on Saturday, Apr 22, 2000 - 7:00 pm:

My 12 year old Arabian had a fall in his pasture last December and injured his right front knee. He was lame and had swelling and objected to flexion of the knee. My vet took 4 xrays and everything was normal. It is now 4 months later and he appears sound in his pasture and trotting on a loose lead, but if you flex his knee he is ouchy and trots off lame. He also has reduced range of motion in this knee. What if anything can I do to help him recover? Should more xrays or perhaps ultrasound be performed? Should I try riding him or does he need more time off? Should I try gently flexing his knee to try to improve range of motion?

Posted on Sunday, Apr 23, 2000 - 8:15 am:

Yes, I think a new lameness exam and set of radiographs would be in order. The decision for the next step would be made from that.
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2000 - 11:03 am:

Hello Dr. O--My vet did repeat radiographs yesterday and we finally have a diagnosis: fracture of the accessory carpal bone. He said there was nothing we could do for him, but, although I don't doubt the diagnosis, my vet is an old fashioned-rely on his intuition and experience -kind of guy, and would be the first to admit he is not up on the latest procedures/surgery/high tech treatments available for horses.

I am fortunate to live with 2-3 hours of Tufts Veterinary and Rochester Equine clinics. I am interested in pursuing this further if you think there is any hope this horse can be returned to use. My vet didn't think so.

Posted on Wednesday, May 24, 2000 - 7:04 am:

Hello Susan,
Treatment and prognosis would depned on the nature of the fracture. Have the radiographs sent to Tufts for evaluation and recommendations.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Sep 7, 2000 - 3:37 pm:

Hello again, I sent my xrays of the above horse to Tufts, and two surgeons looked at them. They agreed that there was nothing they could do. This was back in early summer, and he was still slightly lame at the time. Now however, he is sound at the trot, walk and canter and we've actually tried some easy riding--two approximately half hour sessions, walk, trot and a little canter--and so far he is OK! One question I wished I had thought to ask the surgeons at Tufts was that if the broken piece is completely unattached, is it possible to remove it so that there would be no discomfort when the knee is flexed? Any thoughts on this?

Posted on Friday, Sep 8, 2000 - 6:11 am:

If the surgeons thought that the piece was causing trouble I believe they would have recommended removal.
DrO
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