'If your feet hurt, you hurt all over' is a saying that has persisted for generations. Healthy feet are important to animals, who may need to run or climb to safety at any time. Humans have other ways to get around but having navicular pain or other reasons for sore feet can take all the pleasure out of life. In horses, a severe condition can end useful life. People may require treatment and/or surgery to get relief.
Problems with lameness are serious in a horse, whose usefulness is generally associated with soundness. Foundering is a condition resulting from over-eating of green grass or grain, although it can also be a result of extensive work over hard surfaces. The condition begins with inflammation in the digestive system but affects the front feet. Intense pain is the first symptom. Later on, the navicular bone in the foot can rotate, or shift position, leaving permanent damage.
This condition must be treated at once with anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers, to keep damage to a minimum. Vets usually recommend stall confinement at first and then restriction from grass. Weight loss is also often a part of recovery, and thyroid medication may be prescribed. If the problem was over-consumption of grain, the stomach is usually flushed with oil to make the grain pass through the digestive tract. If too much lush grass caused the problem, the owner might need to limit access to pasture in future, especially in spring when the new grass is especially lush.
In minor cases, lameness will eventually disappear and the horse can be returned to light work. Sometimes the condition affects one front foot and the horse will support its weight on the other, which causes additional problems. In many cases, vets recommend that a horse in pain and with no useful future be 'put down' or euthanized. If this sounds harsh, remember that horses are grazing animals and confining them to a barn or dry paddock does not give them a normal life.
People can also have problems with the same bone that's found in the middle of the foot. Those afflicted are usually athletes who engage in sports with lots of running and changes of direction, like basketball and soccer players. This concussion can cause damage or fracture. Spraining tendons that attach to the foot and ankle can also cause this problem.
The condition shows up first as a minor, nagging soreness in the foot, which worsens withe exercise and is relieved by rest. A cast and crutches may be prescribes if a fracture has occurred. Most people recover from the damage they've done to their foot.
Surgery is sometimes required if a fracture does not heal, or if damage is severe enough to make future arthritic deterioration probable. Diagnosis is made with X-rays, and painkillers can handle the pain while less drastic measures are tried. Some people have an 'accessory navicular', which is a extra, tiny bone embedded in a tendon. Even when they are not athletes, they may have problems caused by twisting the foot or wearing improper shoes.
Although a horse's usefulness may depend on soundness, this is not the case for people. People have other ways of getting around. However, sore feet definitely take the fun out of living. Initial treatment can be followed by physical therapy or by massage, ultrasound treatments, and a recommendation for arch supports and special shoes.
Problems with lameness are serious in a horse, whose usefulness is generally associated with soundness. Foundering is a condition resulting from over-eating of green grass or grain, although it can also be a result of extensive work over hard surfaces. The condition begins with inflammation in the digestive system but affects the front feet. Intense pain is the first symptom. Later on, the navicular bone in the foot can rotate, or shift position, leaving permanent damage.
This condition must be treated at once with anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers, to keep damage to a minimum. Vets usually recommend stall confinement at first and then restriction from grass. Weight loss is also often a part of recovery, and thyroid medication may be prescribed. If the problem was over-consumption of grain, the stomach is usually flushed with oil to make the grain pass through the digestive tract. If too much lush grass caused the problem, the owner might need to limit access to pasture in future, especially in spring when the new grass is especially lush.
In minor cases, lameness will eventually disappear and the horse can be returned to light work. Sometimes the condition affects one front foot and the horse will support its weight on the other, which causes additional problems. In many cases, vets recommend that a horse in pain and with no useful future be 'put down' or euthanized. If this sounds harsh, remember that horses are grazing animals and confining them to a barn or dry paddock does not give them a normal life.
People can also have problems with the same bone that's found in the middle of the foot. Those afflicted are usually athletes who engage in sports with lots of running and changes of direction, like basketball and soccer players. This concussion can cause damage or fracture. Spraining tendons that attach to the foot and ankle can also cause this problem.
The condition shows up first as a minor, nagging soreness in the foot, which worsens withe exercise and is relieved by rest. A cast and crutches may be prescribes if a fracture has occurred. Most people recover from the damage they've done to their foot.
Surgery is sometimes required if a fracture does not heal, or if damage is severe enough to make future arthritic deterioration probable. Diagnosis is made with X-rays, and painkillers can handle the pain while less drastic measures are tried. Some people have an 'accessory navicular', which is a extra, tiny bone embedded in a tendon. Even when they are not athletes, they may have problems caused by twisting the foot or wearing improper shoes.
Although a horse's usefulness may depend on soundness, this is not the case for people. People have other ways of getting around. However, sore feet definitely take the fun out of living. Initial treatment can be followed by physical therapy or by massage, ultrasound treatments, and a recommendation for arch supports and special shoes.
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