Patient Assessment & Clinical Evaluation Flashcards

An equine patient displays atrophy of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles of the left forelimb without apparent lameness. This finding is most consistent with damage to which nerve?

Answer: Suprascapular nerve

The suprascapular nerve innervates the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles; injury causes 'Sweeney' — selective atrophy of these muscles with characteristic shoulder instability.

During cervical range of motion assessment, the chiropractor uses a carrot or treat to encourage the horse to flex its neck toward its flank. This functional test primarily evaluates:

Answer: Combined cervical lateral flexion and rotation through all cervical segments

Carrot stretch to the flank requires combined lateral flexion and rotation across all cervical segments, making it a functional screening test for global cervical mobility asymmetry.

Which palpation finding at an equine thoracic vertebral segment is considered a PRIMARY indicator of a chiropractic vertebral subluxation complex?

Answer: Segmental hypomobility accompanied by local soft tissue texture changes and pain response

The combination of segmental hypomobility, paraspinal soft tissue changes (edema, fibrosis), and provoked pain constitutes the classical VSC triad used to diagnose a chiropractic subluxation.

A horse recently started tripping frequently with its forelimbs on flat, even terrain. No lameness is detected on flexion tests. Which neurological assessment finding would most support a cervical myelopathy as the cause?

Answer: Ataxia on the Mayhew grading scale with proprioceptive deficits and delayed limb placement

Cervical spinal cord compression (myelopathy) causes graded ataxia with proprioceptive deficits and stumbling; the Mayhew scale grades severity from 1 (subtle) to 5 (recumbent), directing treatment urgency.

When evaluating a horse's pelvis for rotational asymmetry, the clinician compares the relative height of which paired anatomical landmarks from behind?

Answer: Tuber coxae (points of the hip) and tuber sacrale heights side-to-side

Comparing tuber coxae and tuber sacrale heights from a caudal view identifies pelvic rotation or tilt, which may indicate sacroiliac or lumbosacral dysfunction.

In equine chiropractic assessment, a positive 'spur test' or epaxial muscle sensitivity response to applied transverse pressure along the thoracolumbar spine most directly suggests:

Answer: Reflex muscle guarding due to underlying vertebral segment dysfunction or pain

Exaggerated or painful muscle contraction in response to digital transverse pressure on the epaxial muscles indicates reflex guarding secondary to underlying spinal dysfunction at that level.

Prior to initiating a chiropractic assessment, which finding from the owner interview should prompt immediate veterinary referral BEFORE chiropractic examination proceeds?

Answer: Acute onset ataxia, fever, significant weight loss, or acute severe lameness

Acute ataxia, fever, significant weight loss, or severe acute lameness are red flags for systemic, infectious, or serious orthopedic conditions that must be ruled out medically before chiropractic intervention.