{"id":11391,"date":"2018-12-15T11:50:07","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T17:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/be55915bbd.nxcli.net\/?p=11391"},"modified":"2021-07-25T12:35:59","modified_gmt":"2021-07-25T17:35:59","slug":"navicular-disease-curcumin-and-bisphosphonates-in-the-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nouvelleresearch.com\/index.php\/articles\/11391-navicular-disease-curcumin-and-bisphosphonates-in-the-horse","title":{"rendered":"Navicular Disease, Curcumin, and Bisphosphonates in the Horse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Navicular disease in the horse is a common lameness condition impacting equine athletes of all disciplines, but with varying degrees.\u00a0 The condition results in ongoing heel pain associated with soft tissue damage and navicular bone remodeling, which occurs progressively over time.\u00a0 The horses impacted by navicular disease suffer variable degrees of pain and have a shorted forward phase of their stride, which inevitably impacts performance and comfort.\u00a0 Current therapies are limited and most of those therapies are directed towards alleviation of clinical signs, more so than altering the condition itself.\u00a0 Could an herb like Curcumin, or Turmeric, impact navicular disease in the horse and potentially improve bone health alone or with bisphosphonates?<\/p>\n

\"Navicular
Navicular Disease, Bisphosphonates and Curcumin in Horse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Navicular disease<\/a><\/span> (podotrochleosis) in the horse is a lameness condition that has been around for many years and in some practices, appears to be increasing in frequency in horses of all categories.\u00a0 Heel pain in the horse is a common source of lameness, often resulting in a reduced forward or anterior stride during various gaits.\u00a0 These horses also tend to shuffle as they step from one side to the other in a circle, trying not to move their front feet too far forward.\u00a0 The reduced forward stride is due to the lack of wanting to fully extend the front limbs, which would then require more loading of weight onto the heel region, which is already painful.\u00a0 By keeping the stride shortened, this helps to reduce the amount of weight distributed to the heels.<\/p>\n

What is Navicular Disease in the Horse?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Navicular disease is a condition in which there is a deterioration of the navicular bone in the horse, which creates pain and discomfort.\u00a0 The navicular bone is located in the heel region, on the backside of the coffin bone, between the heel bulbs.\u00a0 Like any other bone in the body, the navicular bone is living tissue and goes through remodeling over time, which is the process of bone loss (resorption) and new bone formation.\u00a0 Bone is resorbed by cells called osteoclasts and is created by cells called osteoblasts.<\/p>\n

In cases of navicular disease, the balance between the two cell types is upset, and in most situations, there is an increased rate of bone loss in comparison to new bone formation.\u00a0 This is not too different from osteoporosis in people, but in reality, the pathophysiology is different.\u00a0 In osteoporosis, the condition is attributed to the aging process, chronic inflammation, dietary and lifestyle influences, hormones, medications, and genetic factors.\u00a0 But, like navicular disease, in osteoporosis, there is an upset balance between bone loss and new bone formation, leaning towards more bone loss and bone density reduction.\u00a0 However, unlike osteoporosis, navicular disease is not generally associated with increased aging or hormonal influence, but there are distinct connections with diet, lifestyle factors, exercise, and chronic inflammation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This increased bone loss or resorption is evident on radiographs or x-rays in the horse with navicular disease.\u00a0 When evaluating the navicular bone, it is common to see bone thinning, increased vascular channels, and overall reduced bone density.\u00a0 In some other cases, due to increased wear or stress upon the navicular bone, there is a localized increase in bone density due to sclerosis, along with bone loss in other areas.\u00a0 This bone remodeling creates ongoing pain for the horse and over time, the navicular bone can become altered in shape and be predisposed to fractures.<\/p>\n

The thing to keep in mind with navicular disease is that by the time evidence is present on radiographs, in regards to bone remodeling, the condition is often well advanced<\/strong>.\u00a0 Most cases of navicular disease start off with pure heel pain and no major bone damage on radiographs.\u00a0 In the early phase or stage, the damage is being done in the soft tissue structures around the navicular bone, which includes the joint capsule and ligaments associated with the bone.\u00a0 We don’t often see these early soft tissue changes unless and ultrasound or MRI is performed.<\/p>\n

The take-home point here is that due to the progressive nature of navicular disease in the horse, ideally, you want to intervene much earlier in the course of the condition.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Navicular Disease Causes in the Horse<\/span><\/h3>\n

The exact cause of navicular disease is not known, as likely there is no ‘one’ cause in every case.\u00a0 More so, navicular disease is actually a syndrome or complex of events that lead up to a progressive and debilitating condition in the horse.\u00a0 The bottom line problem is increased stress being placed upon the heel region in the horse, which equates to stress upon the soft tissue structures in the region which eventually impact the bone over time<\/strong>.\u00a0 This increased stress creates an internal inflammatory response within those tissues and bone structures, attempting to adapt to the stressful situation.\u00a0 This inflammatory response is what then creates and sets the wheels in motion for altered soft tissue and bone changes, along with production of pain.<\/p>\n

Contributing factors to increased heel stress and navicular disease in the horse include:<\/strong><\/p>\n