Corticosteroid joint injection treatments have been anecdotally linked to laminitis for years. Authors from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Texas A&M University examined 237 studies obtained from a literature search to evaluate the strength of evidence purported to link corticosteroid joint injections and laminitis.

After a critical review, only four studies were identified that were on subject and met the inclusion criteria. Two studies were designed as retrospective cohorts that historically followed animals through time following treatment, one was a retrospective and prospective study and one was a case series.

The studies were assessed as providing only a moderate quality of evidence. The reported incidence of laminitis following intra-articular corticosteroid injection therapy was low and like that of untreated animals. The authors concluded that the moderate quality of evidence reviewed suggests there is no association between intra-articular corticosteroid treatments and laminitis in horses without other risk factors for the disease.

— Tokawa PKA et al. AAEP 2022;68:306-307