Understanding and Preventing Catastropic Injury

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Shammy Davis
Chef de Race: Classic
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Understanding and Preventing Catastropic Injury

Postby Shammy Davis » Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:12 am


zinn21
3rd Year Sire
Posts: 3307
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:23 pm

Postby zinn21 » Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:05 pm

Thanks for sharing Shammy. Some points that caught my eye in this article.

1. there is no epidemiological evidence to support the hypotheses that age, gender, and drug use are the primary factors involved in the genesis of catastrophic injuries.

2. microfractures and bone remodeling (i.e., repetitive stress injuries) are major contributing factors to the development of catastrophic injuries. Bone develops microscopic cracks referred to as microfractures that are not visible on X rays

3. The formation of microfractures and the process of bone remodeling is also the reason why many veterinarians advocate starting racehorses in training while they are young. There is evidence that giving even foals controlled exercise can help strengthen their musculoskeletal system.

4. Procedures performed in young horses to straighten their legs for sales such as periosteal stripping or transphyseal bridging, might enable these horses to race well enough to become sought-after breeding stock, but then these undesirable “crooked leg” genes are propagated through breeding.
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