50 LAMENESS IN THE HORSE. 



3— Chronic Inflammation of the Knee 



History. — Lameness following interfering, as in trotting 

 horses, and excessive work in immature lymphatic animals. 



/7<.s^:>ec^/o??.— Swelling about the knee, deforming the joint 

 more or less. When at rest the knee is kept flexed ; ia 

 walking there is often inability to flex the knee properly ; 

 the hime leg is brought forward slower than the sound one, 

 the leg being abducted while supporting the weight of the 

 body. In bringing the foot down the heels are apt to strike 

 the ground first ; frequently the anterior half of the step is 

 shortened. Lameness may be wanting, if both legs are 

 diseased, or the carpo-metacarpal articulation only. 



Palpation. — The swelling may be of bony hardness or soft 

 and fluctuating ; the latter is true in disease of the tendon 

 sheaths. Passive flexion of the knee joint either produces 

 pain, or demonstrates limited movement as compared with 

 the other knee joint. (In making this comparative test the 

 elbow joints must have the same position in both legs.) 



Differential Diagnosis. — Since there is some similarity 

 in this form of lameness and shoulder lameness, the 

 following points are of importance in differentiating one 

 from the other. In shoulder lameness the animal does not 

 touch the ground with the heels first, as it often does in 

 chronic inflammation of the knee joint; here also the leg is 

 more frequently advanced with an outward swinging motion 

 than in shoulder lameness. In chronic inflammation of the 

 knee, passive flexion of the knee either causes pain or proves 

 a limited movement of the knee joint, which in shoulder 

 lameness is not the case. 



4 — Inflammation of the Carpal Bursa of the 

 Flexor Pedis Tendons. 



History. — Lameness following, in the acute form, the 

 introduction of some septic material, as in punctures with 



