Tendon and ligament injuries to be discussed

Friday, October 26, 2007 - from Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI --- You notice your horse is slightly lame. Upon examination, you cannot find a wound, and you can’t figure out what is causing the lameness yet you have a nagging fear that something is seriously wrong. You try to ease your fears by calling your veterinarian. Upon examination, your worst fears are realized, your horse has suffered a tendon or ligament injury.

“Tendon and ligament injuries are common causes of injury,” according to Dr. Rob van Wessum, equine clinician at the Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the McPhail Equine Performance Center. “These injuries comprise 85 percent of the lameness cases that I see.”

Van Wessum, whose research interests include tendon and ligament pathology, emphasizes that treating an acute injury early is much easier than treating an older, more chronic injury.

“When horses get a primary tendon injury or a ligament injury, it doesn’t show up as a major lameness. But such an injury can destabilize joints and cause many other problems such as arthritis or chronic problems in the future. Such injuries can actually be career-ending.

Drs. van Wessum and Kimberly Johnston, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, will discuss the signs of tendon and liagment injuries, the importance of early detection, and explain the newest diagnostic and treatment options used at the Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

This educational lecture will be held Saturday, December 1, 2007 from 9 a.m. - noon (EST) in E-100 Veterinary Medical Center, East Lansing, MI 48824.

Admission is free, but please reserve a spot by contacting Martha Devlin, and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, by calling (517) 353-3182 or sending e-mail to devlin@cvm.msu.edu; or contact Judy Lessard, CVM Publications and Media Relations, at (517) 355-0001 or bi e-mail at lessardj@cvm.msu.edu.

Maps and Directions to Michigan State University may be found online at http://www.msu.edu/maps/interactive/

The Veterinary Medical Center is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Bogue Street and Wilson Road. Park in the Wharton Center parking ramp on Wilson Road and walk south out of the ramp back to Wilson Road. You will be facing the Veterinary Medical Center. Cross the road and turn right. The entrance to E-100 is near the west end of the building, to the right of the entrance to the Small Animal Clinic (do not use the Small Animal Clinic entrance).

List of Equine Health Seminar Series power points may be found online at http://www.cvm.msu.edu/hospital/additional-resources/equine-seminar-series.

Source: USTA Web site (10-26-07)