Nerve and Joint Blocks

Lameness accounts for a large proportion of any equine vet’s caseload. The actual cause of lameness may be determined following physical examination if there is an obvious swelling or area of pain, but often further investigation is necessary to localise the problem and identify the cause. Orthopaedic investigations often involve the use of nerve and joint blocks. Nerve blocks refer to the injection of local anaesthetic around the nerves in your horse’s limb. These differ from joint blocks where the local anaesthetic is injected directly into a joint or tendon canal.