The effects of local anaesthetic solution in the navicular bursa of horses with lameness caused by distal interphalangeal joint pain.

Summary

# Editorial Summary Distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint pain remains a significant cause of lameness in horses, yet diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are often complicated by the anatomical proximity of pain-sensitive structures in the palmar foot. This 2003 study investigated whether local anaesthetic infiltration of the navicular bursa could effectively desensitise the palmar digital nerves and thereby resolve lameness originating from DIP joint pathology, building on the known principle that PD nerve blocks anaesthetise both the joint and plantar tissues. Using local anaesthetic solution injected directly into the navicular bursa, the researchers demonstrated analgesia of the palmar digital nerves and consequent analgesia of the DIP joint, providing evidence that bursal infiltration could serve as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. This finding has practical significance for practitioners: it offers an alternative to traditional nerve blocks for cases where precise diagnostic localisation of foot pain is needed, and suggests potential therapeutic benefit for conditions such as navicular syndrome where bursal inflammation coexists with joint pain. For farriers and veterinarians managing chronic foot lameness, this technique expands the diagnostic toolkit and may inform targeted treatment strategies, particularly when differentiating between concurrent pathologies affecting the palmar structures of the digit.

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Key Findings

• •Local anesthetic solution injected into the navicular bursa produces analgesia of the distal interphalangeal joint
• •Navicular bursa anesthesia anesthetizes the palmar digital nerves due to their anatomical proximity to the bursa
• •This technique provides diagnostic and therapeutic analgesia for DIP joint pain in lame horses

Conditions Studied