Everything Horse magazine Everything Horse UK Magazine, November 2014 | Page 22
HEALTH: THE LOCKING STIFLE
Bowen Therapy
A Common problem ...
Upward fixation of the patella known as ‘locking’ stifle
Upward fixation of the patella is a normal function of the horse, and it is this ability
to ‘lock’ that allows the horse to sleep standing up with very little muscular strain. It
becomes an abnormal function when locking of the joint occurs unintentionally. Locking
stifle can occur in any horse or pony or any age or breed, but it is most commonly
seen in our four legged friends that have very upright hind legs. The reason for this
is because the problem is a temporarily fixed in an extended upright (straightened)
position. So inevitably those horses with upright hind limbs are at a greater risk.
Clinical signs
This can be seen at rest or during work.
The horse may be walking along and
suddenly the hind limb in question may
be momentarily fixed in extension, often
the horse can hop or stretch out the limb
and it will pop loose in many horses. It
has been known in severe cases to need
veterinary assistance to release. When
this happens the hind leg will be extended
out behind and the horse cannot bring it
back into the normal position.
Image credit Mike Bain
The locking stifle
The Stifle; the large joint between the femur and the tibia - comparable to the human knee
The science of the ‘normal’ hind leg
For the horse to move and simply protract
the limb (the foot to lift off the ground,
brought under the body and placed back
on the ground) requires several joints to
work in unison. The hip, hock and stifle
work together to create resistance in its
state of motion, to maintain speed and
direction in a straight line at constant
velocity. The aim of the leg is to move
with the least amount of muscular work.
For the limb to glide through the air in
a smooth easy motion several muscles
and tendons have to work in harmony,
some contract while some extend. This
simply means that the stifle and hock are
constrained to operate as a unit when
the foot is off the ground. A result of this
is that the hip, stifle and fetlock will all
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operate and flex alongside one another.
You can try this for yourself by lifting
your horse’s leg. The reason this occurs is
because the limb is tied together by the
same tendinous fibres which acts as a
bungee/strap.
point which allows us to divide the joint
into two separate sections, the medial
(towards the midline) and lateral (towards
the back) aspect. There is also a ‘bumpy’
ridge at the front of the joint known as
the tibial crest.
Structure and function
Next we will look at the femur, the bone
that connects to the hip and the stifle.
The base of the femur, making up part of
the stifle joint has two round projections
which we call condyles; a larger medial
condyle and a smaller lateral condyle.
Between these two heads is a shallow
groove known as the trochlear groove.
This groove is there for the patella to
glide up and down. Finally we have the
patella – this is a small triangular bone
that is surrounded mostly by cartilage
and tendon of which help to anchor it in
place.
The stifle is a fairly complex joint and it is
important to understand its function in a
normal state before we can look at it in
an abnormal state. The stifle consists of
three bones, the femur, tibia and patella.
If we compare it to a human knee: the
tibia is the shin bone, the femur is the
thigh bone and the patella is the knee
cap.
Let me try and explain; the upper end of
the tibia (the shin) has a bony spike or
Everything Horse UK Magazine • Issue 14 • November 2014
It is the action of the patella sliding up on
to the trochlear groove at the end of the
femur - when the ligament and patella
slide up too far then they will hook itself
and get caught on the condyle of the
femur. The result is that the stifle joint is
fixed and locked in to the position.
When this action happens repeatedly,
often the medial patellar ligament may
have been stretched making it more of
a risk of catching. However it could also
result from medial patellar ligament
stretch.
Factors that can affect this...
As already discussed this can be a result
of an upright limb, it could be hereditary
– but often not directly – in the sense
that the genetics will play a part in
conformation.
• It can be through injury or extreme
force on the joint
• Kicking and getting the leg caught in
a fence
• It can affect show jumpers
• Mares that were put into foal too
young – it can compromise their
•
•
•
own structure and nutritional
requirements while carrying a foetus.
It can also affect horse that is
malnourished
Lack of muscle tone, or even horses
that have restricted movement and
lack of exercise. The quadriceps
muscles put constant tension
through the ligaments surrounding
the patella, loss of tone and
nourishment will have a knock on
effect of the remainder soft tissue.
Proper nutrition using pure herbs of
a good quality and grade will help
enormously.
However this does not answer the
question as to why extremely fit horses
suffer from this condition.
In these circumstances I would look
into greater depth; the obvious firstly –
nutrition, quality of the hoof and angle of
the trim, how the horses hoof is landing
and any other soft tissue tension. I would
be looking into detail about the daily
routine of the horse – does the horse
work extremely hard then is left in a
stable for long periods of time? This can
affect the blood flow to the areas! High
levels of exercise require more nutrients
and oxygen to the musculature and at rest
this can then be restricted if left standing
still for long periods.
Locking stifles can be more pronounced
when working in deep material like sand,
but also work on a circle (lunging) or
walking downhill increases the load on
the affected stifle.
Corrective management
This will vary enormously depending on the individual horse, its work load, diet,
environment and duration that it has been suffering.
The tailored program for each horse will also depend on the initial cause. In any
case it is vital to assess the nutritional requirements of the horse and make sure
they are being met, make sure the horse has regular exercise if it is unfit or lacks
muscle tone – avoiding tight circles, lunging, deep sand and steep hills. For those
horses that are confined to a stable is it important they get regular in- hand walks
for at least 20 minutes two or three times a day if they have no turn out.
November 2014 • Issue 14 • Everything Horse UK Magazine
Training – How can you help
your horse?
Equine Smart Bowen training is
now available for the first time
in the UK. Starting in spring
2014, whether you want to be a
practitioner – and change your
career or you want to learn to
help your own horse. Training
will be available at reasonable
prices. You can have small
groups or even one –to-one
training if you prefer.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact me
about anything I have written in
this article – and again please
remember if in doubt call your
local vet to assess anything that
is of concern to you. This article is
for interest only.
Treatment and further
information
Lindsay Holder – UK practitioner
and trainer 07703010044
lindsay@lindsaybowentherapy.
co.uk
[email protected]
www.lindsay-bowentherapy.co.uk
www.smartbowen.com
“Locking stifles
can be more
pronounced when
working in deep
material like sand,
but also work on a
circle (lunging) or
walking downhill
increases the load
on the affected
stifle”
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