Differentiating lameness from neurological disease

Determining if a gait abnormality is due to disease of the nervous system or the musculoskeletal system is one of the more complicated clinical tasks the equine veterinarian faces, and one that is not uncommon. It is particularly challenging when the gait abnormalities are mild. It is important to recognise that horses that have musculoskeletal disease will ‘fail’ the neurological examination because proper function of the musculoskeletal system is required to complete the neurologic examination. The nature of the deficits observed differs slightly, and there are a few rules of thumb that can be used to help make this distinction. The history and progression of the complaint are somewhat helpful in some cases. For example, a horse that has a gait abnormality that is responsive to rest and recrudesces with work almost invariably has musculoskeletal disease – this is simply not a history that is consistent with neurological disease ...