Morbid Anatomy of Soft Tissue in Fractured Forelimbs of Thoroughbred Racehorses

To clarify the possible factors associated with intra-articular fracture of the lower limb, pathomorphological analysis was done on peripheral nerves, interosseous ligaments and joint capsules surrounding the lower limb joint of the forelimbs of 165 racehorses affected by lower limb fractures and 187 racehorses without fractures. Subclinical changes were frequently found to include ligament degeneration, degenerative joint disease and peripheral neural lesions, which might have been caused by local circulatory disorders and/or vascular alterations. The incidence of lesions seen in the soft tissues was higher in limbs with fracture than in those without. Thus, we speculate that the fractures would occur in limbs with soft tissue lesions, under the influence of resultant incoordination of lower limb locomotion induced by soft tissue lesions when physiological demands are imposed on the limb during training and racing.