Lombalgia equina: diagnóstico e tratamento

Low back pain is considered a major cause of lameness and performance decay, but identify the location of the lesions and quantify the intensity of pain is difficult because often the most obvious clinical sign, in some cases, is not the pain itself, but, low athletic performance. The diagnosis and treatment of this disease are associated with a high cost and have a strong impact on the equine industry, since it results in direct economic losses. The diagnosis of low back pain is made through physical examination and additional tests, including radiography, ultrasound, thermography and blockades. Major injuries causing back pain in horses is the contact or overlap of the spinous processes, supraspinous desmitis, osteoarthritis of the articular processes, vertebral body lesions and myositis. Therapeutic measures used in the treatment of these diseases are systemic inflammatory steroid, local infiltration, acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy, changes in training and surgeries.