Shoulder

ALEX: I think in the past we’ve dealt with the situation of a horse’s shoulder being sore, but a lot of times, that might not be the primary cause. So, talk about the correlation of shoulder to feet and shoulders in general.

STEVE: Well, as a rule, my experience has been that a performing athlete, a shoulder typically is a compensatory area, which is usually secondary to some sort of extensor lameness, something in the foot, the knee; something that will basically create a shortness in stride, upper-suspensory. Any type of extensor lameness, the shoulder is usually the next compensatory problem. I do see some secondary shoulders due to an opposite limb behind, in other words, being the primary, but typically more in the brachiocephalic; it’s not in the shoulder per se, itself. The bicepital bursa seems to be more secondary to feet or extensor lameness problems. More commonly, feet, but also I will recognize it that knees and/or upper suspensories can create the same sort of problem.