STIFLE DYSFUNCTION

The stifle is the largest, most complex joint in the horse, and problematically the weakest. Anatomically this joint corresponds to the knee joint in humans. For treatment of the human knee in physical therapy it is well established that the quadriceps muscle plays a pivotal role in the alignment of the patella for proper knee function. The same is true of the horse. Results can be devastating for the stifle when quadricep function declines due to lack of activity, growth spurts, or injury. This leads to stifle pathomechanics of the patella getting “stuck” on a bony protrusion of the femur, resulting in debilitating pain, swelling, and reduction in functional locomotion. A common malady of the equine stifle is of upward fixation of the patella (UFP): The animal can not relieve this fixation through contraction of its quadriceps muscles1. The patella lodges on a medial aspect of the femoral condyle causing a complete fixation, debilitating the horse from moving its of the patella intermittently slipping in and out of this fixed position causing repeated trauma to the involved ligament and retro-patellar articular surface. Historically various invasive surgical procedures and a multitude of suggestions for conditioning exercise have had less than favorable results. Until the recent decade not much has been offered to the equine in the way of rehabilitation for this scenario.

Jennifer conducting a Stifle Dysfunction
and Treatment Clinic for the Mason Area
Neighborhood Equestrians club in Oct. '08.