Course Description

Joint instability commonly occurs due to ligament or tendon injury leading to pain and lameness. Ligament injury commonly occurs secondary to trauma or chronic overloading of the joint. Traumatic ligament tears can be treated by:

1. Primary Repair
2. Ligament Reconstruction
3. Osteotomy Techniques
4. Bracing Techniques
5. Arthrodesis

Primary repair of ligaments is performed using appropriate suture materials and patterns. Ligament reconstruction is performed using biological grafts or prosthetic materials. Osteotomy techniques may be used to balance forces and stabilize the joint. Arthrodesis may be indicated if ligament reconstruction is unlikely to adequately stabilize the joint or cases of severe osteoarthritis.

Tendon injuries also occur secondary to acute trauma or chronic repetitive stress. Mild tendon injuries may be treated by coaptation or regenerative medicine. Coaptation includes bandages, commercial braces and custom orthotic braces. Regenerative medicine may be promote and speed healing using modalities such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), stem cells, shock wave or LASER. Tendon repair is performed using special tension-relieving suture patterns to give strength and discourage gap formation. Tendon reconstruction is also possible using biologic grafts. Severe tendon tears may also require arthrodesis to adequately support the adjacent joint.

This course will discuss diagnosis and treatment of injuries of the shoulder, carpus, tarsus, hip, stifle and common calcaneal tendon. Participants will have the opportunity to use state of the art implants to treat a variety of ligament and tendon injuries.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn primary repair techniques for ligament and tendon injuries
2. Learn methods of ligament reconstruction using prosthetic materials
3. Learn how to use an osteotomy to shift load on a joint to treat instability
4. Learn techniques of regenerative medicine to treat musculotendinous injury
5. Learn techniques of immobilization to treat joint instability

Participants are encouraged to invite a technician/assistant to join them for the course. Develop your surgical team when you train alongside each other to perform new procedures. Technicians/Assistants must be registered for the same product as their respective veterinarian in order to attend the course.

Day 1

8:00 Welcome & Introductions

8:05 Collateral Ligament Injury and Repair

8:35 Concept of Balancing Osteotomy

9:00 Break

9:15 Laboratory 1 Tibiotarsal MCL Repair

10:30 Laboratory 2 Balancing Osteotomy Tarsus

12:00 Lunch

12:45 Multiple ligament Injuries of the Stifle

1:30 Laboratory 3 Repair of CCL, CdCL and MCL of Stifle

3:45 Break

4:00 Orthotic braces for joint instability

4:30 Laboratory 4 Cast mold for orthotic bracing

5:30 End of Day 1

Day 2

8:00 Tendon Injury and Repair

8:20 Regenerative medicine – Shock wave, LASER, PRP and stem cells

8:40 Biologic Grafts for ligament and tendon reconstruction

9:00 Injury to the Common Calcaneal Tendon

9:30 Break

9:45 Laboratory 6 Calcaneal Tendon Primary Repair

10:45 Laboratory 7 Calcaneotibial Plate to Stabilize Tarsus

12:15 Lunch

1:00 Laboratory 8 Calcaneal tendon allograft

2:30 Break

2:45 Biceps Tendon Injury - Diagnosis and Treatment

3:30 Laboratory 9 Biceps tendon release and reattachment

4:30 End of Course

Location: Park City, Utah

This unique facility is nestled on 1.4-acres in the quaint mountain town of Park City and is home to the Bark City Veterinary Specialists practice and Nexus Park City. The property has been newly renovated but retains its rustic mountain charm. When participating in a course at Nexus Park City, you can expect the following amenities to be included:

• Complimentary lunch
• All general/specialty instrumentation used in each course
• Instructor’s course notes