The Effects of CORTA-FLX in Horses with Degenerative Joint Disease

DJD is the most common joint disease in horses. Therapy is directed towards providing analgesia, controlling inflammation (if present), limiting damage to articular tissues and promoting healing of damaged cartilage. Medical treatment is usually based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or corticosteroids to relieve pain, reduce lameness and suppress inflammation. Long term use of these medications, however, may suppress chondrocyte metabolism and inhibit normal collagen and proteoglycan synthesis leading to further degradation of the cartilage matrix. Disease modifying drugs, which include polysulphated glycosaminoglycan and hyaluronan, also have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Feed supplements designed to support joint health may also be disease modifying though there have been limited studies to support or refute their efficacy in treating DJD. Traditionally lameness is evaluated subjectively and graded on a five-point scale. Gait analysis is an objective tool for measuring gait. It uses kinematic variables to describe the movements of the segments and joints and kinetic variables to describe the forces associated with locomotion. Ground reaction forces, which are usually resolved into vertical and horizontal (shear) components, measure the forces between the hoof and the ground. Summation of the ground reaction force throughout the stance phase is the impulse. Kinematic and force variables are used to calculate the torque (turning force) around each joint and the bursts of mechanical energy absorption and generation. Energy absorption is indicative of the function of the joint in absorbing concussion; energy generation is indicative of the provision of propulsion. Even for experienced clinicians, subjective scoring of mild to moderate lameness is not very repeatable in comparison with kinematic analysis. Therefore, objective gait analysis is the preferred technique for evaluating changes in the degree of lameness over time. However, it is important to select a set of variables that are consistent with the objectives of quantifying lameness. Vertical ground reaction force (GRF) represents the weight-bearing function of the limb, with peak vertical force and vertical impulse being the most useful measurements. Redistribution of the vertical GRF between the limbs is indicative of changes in the willingness to bear weight on different limbs, which is a relevant consideration in supporting limb lameness. Joint kinematics have been described in horses with various lamenesses. Net joint torques and mechanical energy profiles across a joint have received less attention to date, but may prove more sensitive to changes in the degree of lameness than the kinematic or GRF variables. Velocity affects the gait variables, and lame horses tend to move more slowly as a means of reducing pain by decreasing the GRFs. Therefore, it is important to ensure that horses move at the same velocity if the objective is to compare signs of lameness at different times. In this study, trials were saved in which the horse moved at a pre-selected velocity that was scaled to the horse’s height and weight. It might be argued that a voluntary increase in velocity is a sign of reduced lameness – however, this is a subjective evaluation rather than an objective measurement. It is unlikely that horses will show significant changes in stride length while being constrained to move at constant velocity. The goal of this study was to assess changes in gait variables objectively in horses with tarsal degenerative joint disease after administration of CORTA-FLX in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Read the complete report on Double Blind Study of the Effects of CORTA-FLX in Horses with Degenerative Joint Disease Click to view and purchase our complete line of Horse Supplements For Horses with Degenerative Joint Disease