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Peroneal paralysis
Synonym(s): down cow Stifle injury paresis recumbency lameness sciatic injury
Introduction
- Cause: pressure or trauma to the lateral stifle, often following prolonged recumbency.
- Signs: dropped tarsus and flexed fetlock during weight-bearing.
- Diagnosis: knuckling locomotion following a history of recumbency or trauma, with nerve field impairment.
- Treatment: straw yard or soft pasture rest and NSAIDs.
- Prognosis: good to poor depending on extent of damage and severity of clinical signs.
Age predisposition
- Generally seen in cows following calving and associated with dystocia, fetal size and recumbency risk.
Breed/Species predisposition
- Tends to predominantly affect larger breeds.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
- From recumbency such as during anesthesia or down-cow syndrome.
- From blunt trauma to the lateral stifle
- Secondary to a tibial fracture or fractures of the lateral condyle of the femur (although these cows will be very lame).
Pathophysiology
- The peroneal nerve is a distal branch of the sciatic nerve, and derives mainly from L6 and S1 spinal segments.
- It passes superficially across the lateral surface of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius, making it susceptible to pressure injury.
- Provides motor function to the flexors of the tarsus, and extensors of the foot.
- Paralysis of the peroneal branch results in extension of the tarsus and flexion of the fetlock and interphalangeal joints.
- Overextension of the hock and knuckling of the fetlock
. - In extreme cases the of paralysis, the dorsal hoof wall rests on the ground.
- Overextension of the hock and knuckling of the fetlock
- Atrophy of the cranial lateral muscles of the gaskin may be expected.
- Injury to this nerve is a component of sciatic injury.
Timecourse
- Injury from trauma or from lateral recumbency will lead to transient signs that will eventually improve.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Prevention
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed Papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Hartnack A K (2017) Spinal cord and peripheral nerve abnormalities of the ruminant. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 33 (1), 101–10 PubMed.
- Constable P D (2004) Clinical examination of the ruminant nervous system. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 20 (2), 185–214 PubMed.
- Divers T J (2004) Acquired spinal cord and peripheral nerve disease. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 20 (2), 231–42 PubMed.
Other sources of information
- Lahunta A & Divers T J (2008) Neurologic Diseases. In: Rebhun’s diseases of dairy cattle. 2nd edn. W B Saunders, USA. pp 504–60.