Olecranon Fracture Repair Has Good Prognosis

Olecranon (point of the elbow) fractures are common orthopedic problems in foals often attributable to being kicked while playing, rambunctious behavior, or falling over backward (which they are more apt to do than older horses).

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Olecranon (point of the elbow) fractures are common orthopedic problems in foals often attributable to being kicked while playing, rambunctious behavior, or falling over backward (which they are more apt to do than older horses).

In a joint study from the University of Missouri (UM) Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory and Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., researchers followed the careers of 24 racehorses that underwent olecranon fracture fixation surgery (such as screws and plate fixation) as foals. In general, the prognosis for olecranon fractures to heal after surgical repair is good, but there had yet to be a study focusing on racing prognosis, which would allow quantification of this theory.

Researcher John Janicek, DVM, an equine surgical resident at UM, said of the 24 horses in the study, 22 healed completely. Of those, 16 (73%) went on to race at least once.

"Of the six horses that failed to race and for which long-term followup was available, three developed musculoskeletal injuries not associated with the fracture repair; one developed significant ulnar dysplasia (elbow joint incongruity); one acquired metacarpophalangeal joint contracture (knuckling over of the fetlock joint) and delayed bone union; and one was euthanized because of gastrointestinal disease during training," Janicek explained

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Written by:

Chad Mendell is the former Managing Editor for TheHorse.com .

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