Radiological prevalence of osteoarthritis of the cervical region in 104 performing Warmblood jumpers.
Authors: Espinosa-Mur Pablo, Phillips Kathryn L, Galuppo Larry D, DeRouen Anthony, Benoit Philippe, Anderson Eleanor, Shaw Karen, Puchalski Sarah, Peters Duncan, Kass Philip H, Spriet Mathieu
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Cervical osteoarthritis in Warmblood jumpers: Radiographic findings and clinical significance Cervical osteoarthritis (OA) has been identified as a potential cause of pain and performance issues in sport horses, yet its true prevalence in working populations remains poorly characterised. Espinosa-Mur and colleagues examined 104 sound Warmblood jumpers (median age 10 years) using radiographic grading of the cervical articular process joints from C3 to C7, whilst correlating findings with age, performance level, and subjective assessments of neck pain and mobility. The caudal cervical region proved most susceptible to degenerative change: only 32.7% of C6-C7 joints were radiographically normal compared with 60.5% at C5-C6 and over 80% at the more rostral sites, and horses competing at higher levels showed significantly greater OA severity at C6-C7 (P = 0.013). Notably, age, age at starting work, neck pain scores and range of motion measurements showed no statistical association with radiographic OA grades—a finding the authors interpret as suggesting caudal cervical OA may carry limited clinical relevance in otherwise sound performers. For practitioners, this work indicates that cervical radiographic changes are commonplace in asymptomatic jumping horses and should be interpreted cautiously; detecting OA on imaging alone may not justify intervention or explain performance problems without supporting clinical signs.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Caudal cervical OA is common in sound performing Warmblood jumpers; radiographic findings alone may not indicate clinical disease or performance problems
- •Higher-level competitors show more OA at C6-C7, but this does not necessarily correlate with pain, stiffness, or functional impairment in these horses
- •Radiographic interpretation of cervical APJ changes varies between radiologists, so diagnosis should incorporate clinical signs rather than rely on imaging alone
Key Findings
- •C6-C7 articular process joints were most commonly affected by OA (67.3% with radiographic abnormalities) compared to C5-C6 (39.5%), C4-C5 (18.3%), and C3-C4 (15.4%)
- •Horses competing at higher performance levels had significantly higher OA grades at C6-C7 (P = 0.013)
- •Inter-radiologist agreement varied from fair to substantial (Kappa 0.37-0.61), indicating variability in radiographic interpretation
- •No association was found between age, onset of jumping, neck pain, or neck range of motion with radiographic OA presence, suggesting low clinical significance despite radiographic findings