Sidewinder gait in horses
Abstract Background Sidewinder gait in horses is poorly understood and characterized by walking with the trunk and pelvic limbs drifting to 1 side. Hypothesis/objectives To report causes, clinical and diagnostic features. Animals Horses examined at 2 institutions. Materials and Methods Retrospective...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15870 |
| _version_ | 1819231774748704768 |
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| author | Monica Aleman Emily Berryhill Kevin Woolard Charlotte A. Easton‐Jones Tania Kozikowski‐Nicholas Sue Dyson Isabelle Kilcoyne |
| author_facet | Monica Aleman Emily Berryhill Kevin Woolard Charlotte A. Easton‐Jones Tania Kozikowski‐Nicholas Sue Dyson Isabelle Kilcoyne |
| author_sort | Monica Aleman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Sidewinder gait in horses is poorly understood and characterized by walking with the trunk and pelvic limbs drifting to 1 side. Hypothesis/objectives To report causes, clinical and diagnostic features. Animals Horses examined at 2 institutions. Materials and Methods Retrospective study (2000‐2019). Cases with sidewinder gait, neurological and orthopedic examination, and diagnostic work up or postmortem evaluation were included. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results Twenty‐four horses (mean age 18.9 years) of various breeds and both sexes were included. Onset was acute (N = 10), subacute (N = 6), and insidious (N = 8). Electromyography and muscle biopsy supported neurologic disease and further aided in localizing site of lesion (N = 9/9). Neurologic causes included dynamic thoracolumbar spinal cord compression (N = 5), equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (N = 4, confirmed and presumed [2 each]), thoracic myelopathy of unknown etiology (N = 4), gliosis (N = 2), and thrombosis of thoracic spinal cord segments (N = 1). Non‐neurologic causes included osteoarthritis of the coxofemoral joint (N = 4), multiple displaced pelvic fractures (N = 2), bilateral rupture of the ligamentum capitis ossis femoris (N = 1), and severe myonecrosis of multiple pelvic limb muscles (N = 1). Case fatality was 79%. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Sidewinder gait is usually observed in older horses and can have neurologic or musculoskeletal etiologies. Electromyography can be used as a diagnostic aid to determine neurologic versus non‐neurologic disease and further localize those of neurologic origin. The condition often has a poor prognosis for function and life. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:50:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4372eec3e7fa491097c8228c01cb841b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0891-6640 1939-1676 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:50:19Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-4372eec3e7fa491097c8228c01cb841b2022-12-21T17:48:13ZengWileyJournal of Veterinary Internal Medicine0891-66401939-16762020-09-013452122213110.1111/jvim.15870Sidewinder gait in horsesMonica Aleman0Emily Berryhill1Kevin Woolard2Charlotte A. Easton‐Jones3Tania Kozikowski‐Nicholas4Sue Dyson5Isabelle Kilcoyne6Department of Medicine and Epidemiology University of California, Davis Davis California USADepartment of Medicine and Epidemiology University of California, Davis Davis California USADepartment of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology University of California, Davis Davis California USAThe William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital University of California, Davis Davis California USAThe William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital University of California, Davis Davis California USACentre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust Newmarket United KingdomDepartment of Surgical and Radiological Sciences University of California, Davis Davis California USAAbstract Background Sidewinder gait in horses is poorly understood and characterized by walking with the trunk and pelvic limbs drifting to 1 side. Hypothesis/objectives To report causes, clinical and diagnostic features. Animals Horses examined at 2 institutions. Materials and Methods Retrospective study (2000‐2019). Cases with sidewinder gait, neurological and orthopedic examination, and diagnostic work up or postmortem evaluation were included. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results Twenty‐four horses (mean age 18.9 years) of various breeds and both sexes were included. Onset was acute (N = 10), subacute (N = 6), and insidious (N = 8). Electromyography and muscle biopsy supported neurologic disease and further aided in localizing site of lesion (N = 9/9). Neurologic causes included dynamic thoracolumbar spinal cord compression (N = 5), equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (N = 4, confirmed and presumed [2 each]), thoracic myelopathy of unknown etiology (N = 4), gliosis (N = 2), and thrombosis of thoracic spinal cord segments (N = 1). Non‐neurologic causes included osteoarthritis of the coxofemoral joint (N = 4), multiple displaced pelvic fractures (N = 2), bilateral rupture of the ligamentum capitis ossis femoris (N = 1), and severe myonecrosis of multiple pelvic limb muscles (N = 1). Case fatality was 79%. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Sidewinder gait is usually observed in older horses and can have neurologic or musculoskeletal etiologies. Electromyography can be used as a diagnostic aid to determine neurologic versus non‐neurologic disease and further localize those of neurologic origin. The condition often has a poor prognosis for function and life.https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15870electrodiagnosticsequineneurologyneurophysiologyspeciesspinal cord disease |
| spellingShingle | Monica Aleman Emily Berryhill Kevin Woolard Charlotte A. Easton‐Jones Tania Kozikowski‐Nicholas Sue Dyson Isabelle Kilcoyne Sidewinder gait in horses Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine electrodiagnostics equine neurology neurophysiology species spinal cord disease |
| title | Sidewinder gait in horses |
| title_full | Sidewinder gait in horses |
| title_fullStr | Sidewinder gait in horses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sidewinder gait in horses |
| title_short | Sidewinder gait in horses |
| title_sort | sidewinder gait in horses |
| topic | electrodiagnostics equine neurology neurophysiology species spinal cord disease |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15870 |
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