Joint Injections Pros & Cons (mostly cons)
When it comes to managing joint health in horses, some equine enthusiasts turn to joint injections as a solution. But what are the implications of this treatment option? Let's delve into the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision for your equine companion.
The Pros of Using Joint Injections:
1. Targeted Relief:
Joint injections deliver medication directly to the affected area, providing targeted relief from joint pain and inflammation.
2. Quick Results:
In many cases, horses temporarily experience rapid improvement in mobility and comfort after receiving joint injections.
3. Doses Have Long Effects:
Some joint injections offer long-lasting effects (usually 6 months), relative to frequent (daily) administration of oral medications. I.e. it is easier to administer for the owner.Â
The Cons of Using Joint Injections:
1. Risk of Infection:
There is a potential risk of infection at the injection site, which can lead to complications and require additional treatments.
2. Cost Consideration:
Joint injections can be expensive, especially if multiple treatments are needed over time.
3. Possible Side Effects:
Like any medical intervention, joint injections may have potential side effects that should be carefully monitored.Â
See the paper at the bottom of this email showing that only 42% of injections are administered accurately.
Be aware that injecting steroids doesn't solve the problem.Â
Corticosteroids mask symptoms quickly, but they don't solve the problem - as opposed to nutritional options. Nutritional supplements that include glucosamine support the body’s natural ability to repair damaged cartilage. Studies show that glucosamine can slow the progression of arthritis by preventing cartilage degradation.Â
This from Equitait Veterinary Practivce (link below).Â
Long-term use of certain corticosteroids can result in cartilage breakdown. The amount and rate of degeneration depends on the joint, the amount of damage to start with and the individual horse. This has to be weighed up against the potential benefits of reducing the inflammation within the joint.Â
The article by Chris Whitton below - although specific to gallopers - is worth a read on this too. His argument is basically that injecting joints masks symptoms of more serious lameness (microfractures, for example) that continue to accumulate, and that spelling is a better option because it allows healing.
Vets at a well-known thoroughbred practice in the UK reviewed their records recently and found that horses given more than two IA injections had twice the risk of fracture compared to horses that had fewer injections, particularly within the few months following treatment.
A study performed by the University of Melbourne found that horses receiving two or more injections of corticosteroids into the joint were also at double the risk of any musculoskeletal injury.
There is a relatively new treatment Arthramid Hydrogel, which is showing promising results. The idea is that it artificially lubricates the joints creating a "bio-scaffold". There are a few studies on this, but relatively small numbers of horses in the trials (43, 20, 12). It will be interesting to see how this goes long-term.
You can read more about that here:
Further Reading
If joint injections are something you are considering for your horse, we would encourage you to read widely. Here are some articles to get you started.
Injecting Joints of Racehorses: Is it worth the Risk?
An Owner's Guide To Joint Injections in Horses
Current Joint Therapy Usage in Equine Practice
Frequency of Joint Injections in Horses
To Inject or not to Inject?
This is an important one!Â
This paper shows that practitioners only inject centro-distal joints at 42% accuracy.
Clinical study evaluating the accuracy of injecting the distal tarsal joints in the horseÂ
Here is a paper on glucosamine for joint health:
My personal opinion? I wouldn't inject the joints of my own horses. If they are lame enough for it to be a consideration, their competitive career is already over. Injections are just prolonging the inevitable.Â
No judgement if you make a different choice. Maybe you have been working on educating your horse for many years and you'd just like to make it through one more competition season?
We can make our own older horses comfortable and useful with natural products - including glucosamine, that have no side-effects, and that's why we created them in the first place.Â
We know that they work long-term because we have fed them to our own horses for years and years, and have many long-term clients who have horses still moving well enough for regular, gentle work, but not necessarily competition.
If you have aspirations to compete long-term, we'd encourage you to start supporting your horse's joint health with nutraceuticals containing glucosamine around 8 - 10 years old to prolong their career.
Relief Mix is swabbable, so that is more suitable to horses in their teens that are no longer competing, but have a long career as a pleasure horse.
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