05/09/2025
Joints and Joint Disease.
Every time we move, we utilise a clever piece of biological technology called a ‘joint’. The joint is unusual in that it creates its own microenvironment, separate from the rest of the body.
This works very well until some damage occurs. When cartilage is damaged e.g. through wear and tear or trauma, it causes pain. The bone under the cartilage is very sensitive and any abnormal loading or contact can lead to excruciating pain in some cases.
❗️When the joint is inflamed we call it ‘arthritis’. There are a few different types but basically the end result is the same; damage to cartilage. The cycle of arthritis is as follows: mechanical factors cause the synovium to become inflamed, leading to less lubrication and eventually leading to cartilage breakdown. At the same time, enzymes are released which further damage the cartilage.
Once the process starts, it can’t be reversed. Treatment is aimed at slowing the cycle of cartilage damage and controlling pain associated with this. Although advances in equine-specific studies are occurring, research is still lacking, so often drives the need to extrapolate from other species, such as humans, on the class of substance to use, specific compound within a class (e.g. corticosteroid), dose and frequency of administration.
Another joint condition that can rapidly lead to arthritis in young horses is ‘Osteochondrosis’. This is caused by malformation of the cartilage leading to cracks appearing that can eventually break off and ‘float free’ in the joint. This is called ‘osteochronisis dissecans’ (OCD) and can be a career-ending condition. Surgery is usually required to remove the fragment and clean up the remaining cartilage covering the joint. Fibrous (scar) tissue covers the defect to produce ‘fibro-cartilage’ but this is not as good as genuine cartilage and can lead to early formation of arthritis.
🩺Arthritis is a challenging disease to treat and manage but a lot of horses do ‘OK’ with minimal pain relief. You may have to change how you ride or manage your horse and although it can end competition careers, it doesn’t always mean you can’t use your horse.
💊Treatments such as corticosteroids or Phenylbutazone always have side effects, so need to be weighed up against potential benefits they can provide.
👉Joint supplements can be useful but ALWAYS use a product from an established, reputable company. The nutraceutical industry is poorly controlled and claims on the side of a packet may not bear any relation to what the product can actually do. Your vet can guide you if this is the direction you’d like to go.
General causes of arthritis:
- Wear and tear e.g. age related change
- Incorrect wear and tear when joint is poorly conformed
- Infection of joint e.g. septic joint as a foal
- Ligament damage, especially if joint is unstable
- Cartilage malformation such as too thick or too thin cartilage
If you have any questions about arthritis, please contact your vet or call Central Equine Vets on 0131 664 5606.
