Alcohol facilitated ankylosis in the distal tarsal and pastern joints

Introduction The exact definition of a ‘low-motion joint’ is unclear but it is generally accepted that the equine distal limb possesses three joints that fit this definition: the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and the two small distal tarsal joints (centrodistal [CDT] and the tarsometatarsal [TMT] joints). Other joints have a reduced range of motion but, either because they have complex anatomical features, or because the synovial space consistently communicates with an adjacent ‘high motion joint’, they are more complex than the latter; examples of these are the carpometacarpal and the proximal intertarsal joints ...