MLEC SERVICES
Lameness Examination
Meadow Lane Equine Clinic takes great pride in servicing the sport horse industry. We offer both soundness evaluations and thorough lameness examinations. Maintaining your horse’s soundness is essential to optimizing your horse’s performance. By monitoring your horse’s soundness, and addressing any lameness issues as soon as they develop, you can reduce the overall impact on your horse’s working career. At Meadow Lane Equine Clinic, we believe in an evidence-based localization of lameness. That means we work up your horse’s lameness systematically using diagnostic nerve blocks and imaging to reach a diagnosis.
We also offer Lameness Locator technology. This equipment uses sensors placed on the horse’s body and algorithmic software to objectively detect lameness in the horse. When used in conjunction with the clinician’s expertise, the Lameness Locator can be an effective tool in lameness evaluations.
Once your horse’s lameness has been localized, imaging with the digital x-ray and ultrasound are used to determine the source of your horse’s lameness. The veterinarians at Meadow Lane Equine Clinic will then work with you to develop the treatment plan that is right for you and your horse. We are pleased to offer a multi-modal approach to resolving your horse’s lameness. Several therapies we offer include:
• ProStride
• PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
• IRAP (Interleukin Receptor Antagonist Protein)
• Steroid joint injections (including sacro-iliac and cervical facet injections)
• Shockwave
• Acupuncture
• Manipulation therapy
• Mesotherapy
• Polyacrylamide hydrogel joint injections
Lameness Locator
The Lameness Locator is a valuable tool available to our clinicians to aid in lameness evaluations. The Lameness Locator uses three sensors that are placed externally on the horse – one on the poll, on the right forelimb, and one over the pelvis. These inertial sensors measure minute shifts in the horse’s movement over time as it trots. The sensors pick up this data in real time, and wirelessly transmit it to a computer containing the Lameness Locator software. An algorithm is then used to determine how asymmetries in the horse’s movement correlate to lameness in a particular limb. The Lameness Locator can be especially useful in cases where the horse has lameness in multiple limbs, has extremely subtle lameness, or when diagnostic nerve blocks are performed to localize the lameness. It can provide an objective measurement of a horse’s soundness, useful as a baseline over the course of the show season, or to evaluate the response to therapy. The Lameness Locator is an evidence-based tool that was developed after years of gait analysis research performed by Dr. Kevin Keegan, the University of Missouri Equinosis Program Director. When used in conjunction with critical clinical evaluation of the horse, the Lameness Locator can be a valuable addition to your horse’s veterinary care.
Our clinic believes in utilizing all diagnostic abilities for some lameness cases. We trust our skills but feel that modern technology allows a more in-depth look into lameness. The lameness can be compensatory and or seen in more than one leg. We feel that utilizing the lameness locator enhances our skills. The human eye can make mistakes are we want to be 100% successful with lameness work-ups. The lameness locator is now a common tool that can be used to ensure the correct leg or the blocking has been 100% successful. It has become a tool we use as commonly as hoof testers. It is not used in all workups but having the option can be a blessing in many cases. Once again we aim to enhance your horse and this means having the knowledge and tools to provide you with confidence.
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