Osteoarthritis of the Elbow in Horses

Degenerative joint disease of the elbow joint, in the absence of an inciting primary lesion, is managed as described for the shoulder and other joints ( see Disorders of the Shoulder in Horses). Some horses present with lameness localized to the elbow joint by diagnostic anesthesia with little or inconclusive abnormalities evident with imaging. It has been reasonably proposed that these horses may be suffering from subchondral bone damage.