Very Common
Less Common
Related Observations
Your vet might choose this diagnostic test if you were making these observations.
Diagnostic
Tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what is wrong with your horse, in order to reach a diagnosis.
Cost: Under $100
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
YOUR VET MAY PERFORM
Diagnostic Anesthesia, Nerve Blocks
Cost: Under $100
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
Summary
Nerve blocks are an integral part of the lameness exam. Following initial assessment of the horse at the trot, a flexion exam and the use of hoof testers, nerve blocks may be used to find or pinpoint the origin of the problem. This is especially true in cases where initial examination fails to isolate a cause.
Specific sensory nerve branches are numbed (blocked) at precise levels (lower to higher) by the vet with a local anesthetic. These nerve branches provide sensation to specific areas and structures within the limb. When local anesthetic is injected around the nerve at this level, the structures supplied below that level become numb. If the structure causing lameness happens to be within this "blocked" area, then the lameness improves. The effect lasts for several hours before wearing off.
Specific sensory nerve branches are numbed (blocked) at precise levels (lower to higher) by the vet with a local anesthetic. These nerve branches provide sensation to specific areas and structures within the limb. When local anesthetic is injected around the nerve at this level, the structures supplied below that level become numb. If the structure causing lameness happens to be within this "blocked" area, then the lameness improves. The effect lasts for several hours before wearing off.
Why A Vet Chooses This Diagnostic
Related Diagnostics
Other diagnostic tests that might be used in combination or with this one or instead of this one.
Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider
This test could rule out or confirm any of the following diagnoses.
Very Common
-
Sole, Foot, Corn or Heel Bruise
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Navicular Syndrome
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Carpal Canal Tenosynovitis
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Joint Capsulitis, Synovitis, Tenosynovitis
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Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Disease, DSLD
-
Bone Spavin, Distal Hock Arthrosis
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Deep Digital Flexor Tendinitis in Hoof
-
Lameness, Conditions Causing, Generally
Less Common
BENEFITS
Nerve blocks give concrete information about the region of the limb causing pain. This is a vital complement to radiography and ultrasound. Without this diagnostic, it can be very hard to know if a lesion found during imaging is the source of pain or is just an incidental finding. LIMITATIONS
Local anesthetic can be imprecise, spreading into the tissues around a nerve. Areas blocked may be higher or lower than a clinician would expect, complicating the analysis. There is also a great deal of individual variation between horses. Some horses have unique nerve branches that complicate interpretation of the results.
your role
Questions To Ask Your Vet:
- How much confidence do you have that the condition causing the lameness is within the blocked area?
- What imaging will you use to refine the diagnosis?
further reading & resources
Helpful Terms and Topics
Written, reviewed or shared by experts in equine health
Outside Resources
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