September 2006

A Firm Stifle-Lameness Diagnosis May Require A Specialist

The more complex a structure, the more things can potentially go wrong with it. This certainly holds true for the stifle.

The horse’s stifle is the anatomical equivalent of our knee, designed to be capable of a very large range of movement. This calls for special modifications to protect the joint surfaces from friction, and to stabilize the joint against excessive movement or movement in the wrong direction.

High-performance horses are at risk for all types of injuries, by the nature of the demand on their bodies.

There are three bone structures that make up the stifle—the end of the femur from above, the top of the tibia below (with the head of the much smaller fibula bone as well), and the patella, or "knee cap," which glides along the front of the joint. The job of flexing the stifle and moving the leg forward falls on the large quadriceps femoris…