What causes Sweeney shoulder in horses?
Sweeney refers to a hollowed area just below and to the rear of the horse’s shoulder line. The condition is due to muscle wasting after the suprascapular nerve has been damaged. This nerve controls the shoulder muscles that allow the horse to swing its leg forward.
How is the horses shoulder attached?
Horses lack collar bones and there is no socketed joint between the rib cage and forelimb. The dorso-scapular ligament (DSL) anchors the top of the forelimb, while the serratus ventralis and pectoral muscles form the thoracic sling. Together they substitute for a socketed joint.
What type of joint is the equine shoulder?
ball and socket”
The shoulder is a “ball and socket” joint (see diagram, right), made up of the distal (furthest) aspect of the scapula, or shoulder blade, which forms a concavity, and the proximal (nearest) aspect of the humerus, which forms a head.
What is Sweeney shoulder?
“Shoulder Sweeney refers to an injury of the suprascapular nerve, which runs over the front part of the scapula and provides the nerve supply to two major muscles that support the shoulder joint,” Watkins said.
How do you treat Sweeney shoulder in horses?
Treatment of Sweeney Shoulder is with NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as BUTE for pain management, massage of the affected area to stimulate muscle regeneration or removal of the primary cause of disease.
How do you treat shoulder pain in a horse?
Injections of a corticosteroid into the joint may be of some benefit. Whole-body steroids or other anti-inflammatory drugs may relieve signs of pain. Hyaluronic acid, which lubricates joints and seems to benefit cases of degenerative disease in other joints, may also provide some relief.
What is a sloping shoulder on a horse?
Shoulder slope: is marked from highest point of wither to point of shoulder and then measured against the horizon. The slope of the horse’s shoulder ranges between 40-60 degrees. A slope of 45 degrees is considered ‘laid back’ and is ideal for Dressage horses.
Where is the coupling on a horse?
Coupling is the joining of back at the lumbosacral joint. Ideally, the L-S joint should be directly over the point of hip. Weak coupling is where the L-S joint is further to the rear.
What type of joint is the hock?
For all practical purposes, the hock works as a hinge, moving by flexion and extension through one plane. Practically all of the movement occurs in the tibiotarsal joint.
Which joints communicate in the equine hock?
It always communicates with proximal intertarsal joint.
What is Quittor in a horse?
What is quittor? Quittor is an old term for a condition that involves death and destruction (necrosis) of the collateral cartilages of the foot (see our information sheet on sidebones), following an infection in the foot (see our information sheet on pus in the foot).
What is the infraspinatus muscle?
The infraspinatus is a thick triangular muscle that occupies much of the infraspinous fossa of the scapula. It is a member of the rotator cuff, commonly remembered by the mnemonic “SITS” (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis).
How long does it take for a horse to recover from shoulder injury?
Mild cases should recover in 6 to 8 weeks. In cases of severe nerve damage, spontaneous recovery may take many months, if it occurs at all. Such cases are candidates for surgery. If the nerve has been severed, recovery is unlikely.
What is a hunter’s bump on a horse?
A ‘Hunter’s Bump’ is a protrusion of the tuber sacrale. This is the area of the hip that will appear elevated along the lower part of your horse’s back, just above the croup. Technically, this is a subluxation of the sacroiliac joint, which may involve injury to the ligaments securing the pelvis and the spine.
Can you XRAY a horses shoulder?
most readily obtained with the horse in dorsal recumbency and the limb to be examined extended vertically. High quality radiographs need careful collimation of the x-ray beam. Use of a cone may enhance detail in a localised area after ‘screening’ films have been obtained.
How can I strengthen my horses shoulders?
For shoulder-out, keep the horse’s hind legs on the same track they were on when you did shoulder-in….For example:
- Ride a large circle in the walk in shoulder-in.
- Decrease the angle to shoulder-fore as your horse steps into the trot.
- Stay in shoulder-fore through a canter depart, and ride the canter in shoulder-fore.
Where is the point of the shoulder of a horse?
The slope of the shoulder measures the angle of the horse’s scapula and is commonly measured from the top of the scapula near the withers to the point of the shoulder.
What is goose rumped horse?
Definition of goose rump : a rump (as of a horse) having considerable slope so that the tail is set down low.
What is the hock joint in horses?
The hock joint isn’t just one thing, rather an area. The hock links the lower leg bones to the tibia in a horse’s upper leg. It consists of four basic joints and multiple bones and ligaments. The upper joint (the tibiotarsal joint) is responsible for extensions and the majority of the hock mobility.
How many joints are in a horse hock?
4 joints
The horse’s hock is made up of 10 bones and 4 joints supported by several ligaments. The largest joint is the tarso crural joint (TCJ), which forms the upper part of the hock and has a ball and socket mechanism. The TCJ has the greatest range of movement and is known as a high motion joint.
Why is the hock of a horse only proximally attached?
In the horse, this joint only exists proximally because the distal end of the fibula is fused to the tibia to form the lateral malleolus. The hock has four levels of articulation: tarsocrural joint, proximal intertarsal joint, distal intertarsal joint and tarsometatarsal joint.
What are the four levels of articulation in a horse Hock?
Tarsal Joint (Hock) The hock has four levels of articulation: tarsocrural joint, proximal intertarsal joint, distal intertarsal joint and tarsometatarsal joint. In the horse, the distal three permit almost no movement (high impact, low motion joint).
What is the thoracic limb of a horse?
Thoracic Limb. Shoulder Joint. The shoulder joint is the articulation between the glenoid cavity of the scapula and the head of the humerus. In the horse, lateral and medial movements of this joint are impossible due to the shape of the humeral head; movement is therefore limited to flexion and extension.
What is the shoulder joint on a horse?
The shoulder joint is the articulation between the glenoid cavity of the scapula and the head of the humerus. In the horse, lateral and medial movements of this joint are impossible due to the shape of the humeral head; movement is therefore limited to flexion and extension.