|
EQUINE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic
Research Laboratory is the leader in advancing knowledge of equine musculoskeletal
problems. It houses state-of-the-art equipment and fosters a creative
environment for basic and clinically applied equine musculoskeletal research.
Four faculty under the directorship of Dr. Susan Stover, a former trainee
of Dr. Wheat, work in collaboration with more than 19 other clinicians
and scientists to continuing improving our understanding of equine musculoskeletal
diseases.
The group has authored multiple
publications over the last decade, trained numerous graduate
students, clinical residents,
visiting fellows and veterinary
students. In addition to presentations at scientific meetings,
the group has made numerous presentations to industry and written articles
for horse owners and trainers.
Funding support for the laboratory
is derived from competitive granting agencies, research sponsors and industry
friends. In 1997, a major gift from the Dolly Green Foundation ensured,
in perpetuity, the laboratory's future and further increased its competitiveness
for sponsored research that directly benefits the equine industry.
Major Accomplishments
that have Benefitted Racing
-
Discovered stress fractures precipitate
catastrophic fractures
-
Discovered new sites, now routinely
examined, for stress fractures
-
Advocated bone scan (scintigraphy)
installation at Santa Anita Racetrack
-
Developed new bone scan views to enhance
detection of stress fractures
-
Associated high intensity exercise
with increased risk for skeletal injury
-
Determined high intensity exercise
increases risk for layup
-
Determined that layup increases risk
for catastrophic humeral fracture
-
Associated horseshoe toe grabs with
increased risk for injury, especially suspensory apparatus failure (fetlock
breakdown)
-
Discovered osteoarthritis in the back
and pelvis of over 25% of racehorses that die for other reasons
-
Developed new, improved techniques
for sampling and treating the fetlock and pastern joints
-
Improved methods for fracture repair
(tibia, pastern)
-
Improved understanding of joint cartilage
inflammation and function
Current Goals of
the Equine Research Program
-
Determine the effects of layup on bone
and tendon function
-
Elucidate the events leading to cannon
bone condylar fracture and fetlock joint osteoarthritis
-
Determine the effect of hard and soft
racetrack surfaces on tendon function
-
Develop a dynamic computer simulation
of the horse's forelimb during racing - for the future study of interaction
of racetrack surface characteristics and hoof/shoe conformation with risk
for tendon and suspensory ligament injuries (tendinitis, bowed tendons
and fetlock breakdown)
-
Determine training regimes to minimize
injury
-
Determine rehabilitation regimes to
optimize return to training and prevention of re-injury
-
Enhance repair methods for major bone
fractures
The Opportunities
Ahead
Great strides have been made in discovering
the causes of catastrophic injury in racehorses, understanding the
events leading to bone fracture, enhancing techniques to detect stress
fractures in live horses, identifying exercise factors that place horses
at increased risk for catastrophic injury, and providing horseshoe recommendations
to prevent suspensory apparatus injury. But the Challenge continues
in order to make horse racing a safe sport for horse and man.
Opportunities are ripe for advancement.
Our focus on factors that can be managed by the industry will greatly facilitate
implementation and change for injury prevention. These factors include:
-
Racing surface and horseshoe interface
-
Training and rehabilitation regimes
-
Integrative methods of treatment
If you are interested in supporting
programs and research activities related to the equine research program,
please contact Dr. Sue Stover at smstover@ucdavis.edu.
Interface Between
the Racetrack and the Racehorse
The racetrack surface is one of the
most frequently blamed factors for racehorse injuries. It is also
one of the most manageable factors. The J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic
Research Laboratory has plans for a multi-faceted program for the study
of the effect of racetrack surface and horseshoe characteristics on the
likelihood for suspensory ligament and tendon injury. Our approach
combines: 1) an epidemiologic study of horseshoe characteristics and non-fatal
injuries, 2) development of an improved instrumented horseshoe for measurement
of the complete loading profile on the hoof on different racing surfaces,
and 3) development of a computer simulation of a racing horse's forelimb
for the evaluation of tendon and ligament strain (propensity for injury)
relative to different racing surface characteristics and horseshoes.
A gift dedicated to these programs would be focused on developing racetrack
surfaces and horseshoes for the prevention of injury, and perhaps, even
increasing performance as noted by race times.
Training and
Rehabilitation for the Prevention of Injury and Re-injury
Perhaps the most under served aspect
of equine sports medicine is training for injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Tremendous advances have been made in diagnostics, surgical and anesthetic
techniques, and pharmaceutics, but little has been done to advance methods
for injury prevention and speeding convalescence or for optimizing return
to athletic activity.
Racehorse training programs are firmly
set in tradition. There is little scientific basis for recommendations
for training methods, the length of layup periods after injury, or rehabilitation
and retraining programs. Epidemiologic studies conducted in the
JD Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory have demonstrated the
important interrelationships between training intensity, lay-up time,
and risk of injury. As this knowledge base grows for different injury
types, it will be critical to develop scientifically sound training and
rehabilitation approaches for use during convalescence and return to training.
The comprehensive approach possible through the resources of the JD Wheat
Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory and the Equine Athletic Performance
Laboratory at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and the close
collaboration with the racing industry offers a unique opportunity to
develop innovative solutions in rehabilitation.
|
