BY SAMANTHA MORINI DVM AND LOTHAR VANSLAMBROUCK DVM (HEAD OF THE ORTHOPEDICS AND REHABILITATION DEPARTMENT) / EQUITOM
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY EQUITOM
Almost every horse owner has heard the word “navicular”. And almost every time, that word arrives with fear. Navicular syndrome has a bad reputation. But the truth is very different: navicular syndrome is common, manageable, and often misunderstood.
To care for our horses properly, we must first understand what is really happening inside their feet.
What is Navicular Syndrome, really?
The correct name is podotrochlear syndrome. This already tells us something important: it is not just one bone, and it is not just one problem. Navicular syndrome does not affect only the navicular bone. It can involve an entire system deep inside the hoof, called the podotrochlear apparatus, which includes:
• the navicular bone
• the deep digital flexor tendon
• the navicular bursa (a small cushion filled with fluid between the navicular bone and the deep digital flexor tendon)
• important ligaments that stabilize the joint
When one or more of these structures is stressed, inflamed, or damaged over time, pain appears, and lameness follows.
This condition is one of the most common causes of front limb lameness in horses, and it can affect: young or older horses, sport horses or leisure horses, any discipline. Often, it does not appear suddenly. It creeps in quietly.
How does it usually start?
Most horses do not wake up one morning suddenly lame. Instead, owners notice insidious onset of loss of performance, shorter steps, reluctance to move forward, stiffness when starting work, lameness that comes and goes, discomfort that is worse on hard ground.
Very often, the problem becomes obvious:
• after a period of rest
• after a change in shoeing or trimming
• after a change of rider, work, or management.
The role of the hoof shape
Horses with low heels and flat feet are especially at risk. In these feet, the coffin joint is more extended, which means more pressure on the caudal part of the hoof, exactly where the navicular structures live. Good hoof balance is not cosmetic, it is protective!
What does the horse show?
Static examination: A very typical sign is the constant resting of the affected leg. This is not laziness. This position reduces pressure (and so, the pain) inside the painful area of the hoof.
Other possible signs:
• sensitivity to pressure in the heel area
• stronger digital pulse
• swelling/deformation on the distal aspect of the pastern region
• distension of the coffin joint...
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