Nonsurgical fracture management

Horses are confined to the stall for 60-90 days, depending on the healing progress.
If there is excessive swelling or the horse has a tendency to not fully extend the limb, preferring instead to stand with carpus flexed, a well-padded bandage, with a splint applied to its caudal aspect and extending from the ground to the proximal aspect of the antebrachium is indicated.

Follow-up films to assess healing are taken before the horse is transitioned to free paddock exercise.

Left: 3 months follow up radiograph showing good fracture healing. The horse was sound at that time.

In some cases conservative treatment using stall rest is not successful. In these cases a nonunion develops.

4-months follow up radiographs of a comminuted olecranon/ulna fracture. The fracture lines are still visible and the proximal fragment is somewhat displaced.

Because of the prolonged decreased weight-bearing on the limb, a flexural deformity and muscle atrophy developed.