## Overview A bowed tendon is the visible swelling that results from injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), most often in the mid-cannon region of a forelimb. Tearing of tendon fibers and hemorrhage produce the characteristic convex “bow” on the back of the leg. The SDFT is an energy-storing tendon that operates near its functional limit during high-speed work, making it the most commonly injured tendon in equine athletes. ## Causes Overstrain during fast exercise, fatigue, poor conditioning, unsuitable footing, and pre-existing low-grade tendon degeneration are the main causes. The lesion is typically a central core tear. ## Diagnosis Palpation reveals heat, pain, and thickening. Ultrasound is the gold standard; it shows fiber disruption, core lesions, or diffuse tendinitis and is used to monitor healing. Horses are not always markedly lame, so absence of severe lameness does not rule out significant damage. ## Treatment Immediate rest, cold therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and supportive bandaging are essential in the acute phase. A controlled, progressive rehabilitation program lasting 8 to 12 months or longer, guided by serial ultrasound, gives the best chance of return to work. Adjunctive treatments (superior check ligament desmotomy, biologics) are sometimes used; evidence for many is still evolving. ## Recovery and Prognosis Tendon heals with scar tissue that is weaker and less elastic than original tendon, so re-injury rates are high (reported between roughly 23 and 67 percent within two years with conventional management). Careful rehabilitation improves outcomes, but many horses do not return to their previous level of performance. ## Prevention Gradual conditioning, attention to footing, and early detection of heat or thickening allow intervention before catastrophic tearing occurs.
visible bow-shaped swelling on the back of the cannon; heat and pain on palpation; variable lameness; thickening of the superficial digital flexor tendon
## Overview A bowed tendon is the visible swelling that results from injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), most often in the mid-cannon region of a forelimb. Tearing of tendon fibers and hemorrhage produce the characteristic convex “bow” on the back of the leg. The SDFT is an energy-storing tendon that operates near its functional limit during high-speed work, making it the most commonly injured tendon in equine athletes. ## Causes Overstrain during fast exercise, fatigue, poor conditioning, unsuitable footing, and pre-existing low-grade tendon degeneration are the main causes. The lesion is typically a central core tear. ## Diagnosis Palpation reveals heat, pain, and thickening. Ultrasound is the gold standard; it shows fiber disruption, core lesions, or diffuse tendinitis and is used to monitor healing. Horses are not always markedly lame, so absence of severe lameness does not rule out significant damage. ## Treatment Immediate rest, cold therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and supportive bandaging are essential in the acute phase. A controlled, progressive rehabilitation program lasting 8 to 12 months or longer, guided by serial ultrasound, gives the best chance of return to work. Adjunctive treatments (superior check ligament desmotomy, biologics) are sometimes used; evidence for many is still evolving. ## Recovery and Prognosis Tendon heals with scar tissue that is weaker and less elastic than original tendon, so re-injury rates are high (reported between roughly 23 and 67 percent within two years with conventional management). Careful rehabilitation improves outcomes, but many horses do not return to their previous level of performance. ## Prevention Gradual conditioning, attention to footing, and early detection of heat or thickening allow intervention before catastrophic tearing occurs.
visible bow-shaped swelling on the back of the cannon; heat and pain on palpation; variable lameness; thickening of the superficial digital flexor tendon