Coffin Joint Inflammation in Horses

A horse's hooves are the foundation of its health and happiness. The old saying "no hoof, no horse" is sadly true, and never more so than when the "coffin" joint is affected. The reason it is called the coffin joint is that when something bad affects it, the horse may go permanently lame. Knowing how inflammation can affect this area is critical to the horse owner.

  1. The coffin joint

    • Deep inside the horse's hoof is the coffin joint. Hooves were once toes, millions of years ago, and the nail of the main toe evolved over time into the tough outer hoof wall, while the unused toes were absorbed back into the leg of the horse. The coffin joint is essentially the tip of the toe bone that is located inside the center of the hoof. All the pressure, weight and stress of the leg is focused onto this one tiny area.

    Protection

    • The coffin joint is surrounded by the living spongy laminae of the inner hoof, and the toughened keratin of the outer hoof and its wall. The spongy laminae help distribute the shock and stress of impact to protect the bone, and the hard outer wall protects the laminae from sharp and hard objects. In a healthy hoof, it is the ideal design to keep the horse sound.

    Inflammation

    • Inflammation is the result of blood rushing to a part of the body that has sustained trauma or injury. This influx of blood and fluid causes swelling, which can cause pressure and pinching onto surrounding nerves and tissues, resulting in pain and further damage. When the coffin bone is hurt or traumatized, inflammation and lameness are the result.

    Causes

    • The causes of inflammation of the coffin joint can be myriad and difficult to diagnose. In the case of founder, the diagnosis can be made with x-rays which will show possible rotation of the coffin joint. In many cases, however, the inflammation is caused by an injury or trauma and may not show up right away, or may have an unknown cause.

    Treatment

    • The most common form of treatment for coffin bone inflammation is rest. By allowing the horse to reduce exercise and movement, the body is allowed to heal and reduce the inflammation on its own. Another treatment is injections of corticosteroids into the joint, which can reduce the swelling and pain. Oral and topical treatments of medications can also assist in pain management and recovery. Time is what is needed for the coffin joint inflammation to resolve itself -- that and avoidance of reinjury.