ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The musculoskeletal system comprises the skeleton, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles. Together with the nervous system, it is responsible for the animal’s stance and gait. Infections of the musculoskeletal system are common in cattle; polyarthritis is common in neonates and foot lesions are especially common in housed dairy cattle. Arthritic changes, commonly predisposed by trauma, are largely confined to the stifle and hip joints of older beef cows, where they can present as a serious welfare concern. Clinical involvement of the musculoskeletal system is manifest as lameness and, much less commonly, as weakness.
