https://youtube/watch?v=XcBQXZwxPCc OK! Heres the answer, I want to get this done because I have another post I want to put up! STRINGHALT! Similar to the function of strings on a marionette, stringhalt seems to make horses yank their legs up and halt them there momentarily before taking their next step. This uncontrollable exaggerated movement of the digital extensor muscles is the outward sign of neurologic disease, sometimes caused by toxicity, sometimes of unknown origin. If time doesnt cure it, the prognosis is poor. But today researchers are hard at work looking into ways to make horses with this condition safe, happy, and free of clinical signs. Stringhalt appears to be an age-old disease in horses and other hooved animals. Descriptions of the disease date back to the Renaissance. William Shakespeare has even been credited for the name of the disease (as a variation of the term springhalt, from Henry VIII). Stringhalt occurs when the digital extensor muscles contract excessively or when the digital flexor muscles lack sufficient opposition. he clinical signs are usually more extreme when the horse is turning or backing up. Some horses have such severe stringhalt they actually kick themselves in the abdomen when trying to walk. Both hind legs might be equally affected, or one might show more obvious signs than the other. In some cases stringhalt might be apparent in the forelegs.Shivering is another sign of the disease. Although stringhalt might look like strictly a muscular problem, neurologic issues are at the root of it. Nerve damage probably causes abnormal activity of certain sensory receptors called spindles, located in the body of the muscles, spindles are responsible for detecting changes in muscle length. This faulty wiring of the spindles causes certain muscles to contract either too early or too late, or too much or too little, during certain phases of the gait. Thus, intermittent abduction (movement of the limb away from the body) and caudal (toward the tail) jerking in the hind limb may result from spasticity of the biceps femoris muscle (located along the back of the hindquarter) during the swing phase of the stride. eterinarians divide stringhalt into two major categories. Australian stringhalt usually is a temporary disease resulting from toxicity, whereas classic (or atypical, depending on the geographic region) stringhalt has no known cause and usually does not resolve on its own. Stringhalt in outbreaks caused by the ingestion of toxic plants has acquired the common name of Australian stringhalt. However, despite its name, Australian stringhalt can affect horses worldwide and has commonly been reported in the United States and New Zealand, in addition to Australia. Recently, it also has been diagnosed in some South American countries. Over the past century, false dandelion (Hypochaeris radicata), also known as flatweed, has been considered a major culprit of Australian stringhalt. Unlike Australian stringhalt, classic stringhalt does not typically occur in outbreaks and usually has no obvious cause. Clinical signs are similar, although classic stringhalt frequently has stronger effects in a single leg. ke many other neurologic diseases, stringhalt is the subject of active, ongoing research. Scientists are seeking new causes as well as treatments.The botulinum toxin Botox, commonly used to smooth facial wrinkles in humans, is under investigation at the moment for its use in calming stringhalt symptoms.As some answers reflected, resection of the long digital extensor, has been a classic treatment with decent results.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:36:38 +0000