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Tendon Laxity and Contracture
Flexural Limb Deformity and Contracted Tendons in Foals and Horses
Introduction
When newborns stand up for the first time, their legs are wobbly, the ligaments lax, and the tendons a little too short or too long. This is normal and results in odd leg angles and stances. These normal variations should not interfere with the foal getting up and moving around and almost immediately start self correcting so that by the third day the legs are well on their way to normal. The time for concern is when the abnormalities are so bad that they prevent the foal from standing and getting around well or when the malformations do not correct rapidly. Different terms have been used including flexural laxity, contracted tendons, and over at the knees or pasterns. Severe cases of bilateral flexural and angular joint laxity may be termed "wind swept". Rupture of the common digital extensor is a special case of over at the knees. Mild deep digital flexor contracture may result in a club foot. This article discusses the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of these conditions.
Flexural vs Angular Deformity
Limbs abnormalities can be caused by a number of different problems and horse owners often confuse angular and flexural deformities. From a diagnostic stand point, it is useful to divide these abnormalities into two main groups depending on whether you can see the abnormality while standing in front or behind the foal or from the side.
Angular Deformities: A problem with the bony column visible from the front or rear.
Angular limb deformities can be seen best while standing directly in front or behind a foal. These limbs appear crooked when looked at from the front, with the limb bent either toward or away from the midline of the horse. Frequently the deviation begins at the knee but the fetlock can be deviated also...more.
Flexural Deformity: A problem with the tendons and other supporting soft tissues best seen from the side.
A deformity best seen while looking at the foal from the side is probably a flexural deformity. The reason is that the muscles and tendons work to maintain posture while standing. If they are not working properly the joints assume unusual angles and these angles are best appraised from the side of the horse. The limb will appear either unable to straighten or may appear to straight depending on the structures involved. The tendons can either be too tight or too loose and result in bent knees, straight ankles, upright pasterns, up on toe and club foot are all signs of flexural abnormalities. In the rear the hock may be either to straight or too bent.
It should be noted: foals are usually born with mild to moderate flexural abnormalities. As long as the deformity does not prevent the foal from getting around well, the problem usually self corrects in the first few days. If a deformity prevents a foal from getting up and moving around normally or if it worsens, professional evaluation will be quickly needed. Allowing a problem of this sort to go on too long can result in a more difficult correction or even permanent lamenss due to ligaments fixing in an abnormal position or arthritis developing in the strained joints.
Flexural Laxity: dropped fetlocks, pasterns, walking on the heels
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