Hhf. Buchner et al., HEAD AND TRUNK MOVEMENT ADAPTATIONS IN HORSES WITH EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED FORELIMB OR HINDLIMB LAMENESS, Equine veterinary journal, 28(1), 1996, pp. 71-76
The kinematic patterns of head and trunk were studied in horses during
induced supporting limb lameness to understand the mechanisms horses
use to compensate for lameness and to evaluate different symmetry indi
ces for their significance as lameness indicators, Using the locomotio
n analysis system CODA-3 the kinematics of 11 clinically nonlame Dutch
Warmblood horses were recorded while walking (1.6 m/s) and trotting (
3.5 m/s) on a treadmill, A transient lameness model, evoking pressure
induced pain on the hoof sole, was used to induce 3 degrees of fore- a
nd hindlimb lameness, Peak vertical displacement, velocity and acceler
ation of head, withers, tuber sacrale and both tuber coxae were quanti
fied at different phases of the stride, Changes in these variables due
to lameness and symmetry indices calculated as quotients of the value
s during the lame and nonlame stance phase were analysed using a 2-way
analysis of variance. The head, withers and tuber sacrale showed a si
milar sinusoidal pattern in their vertical displacement, velocity and
acceleration, During both fore- and hindlimb lameness at the trot, the
vertical velocity of the trunk at impact of the lame limb decreased (
P<0.05), during the lame stance phase the trunk was kept higher above
the ground, maximal acceleration decreased and displacement amplitude
was smaller than without lameness, Changes in movements of the head we
re much more expressed than movements of the withers during forelimb l
ameness and reversed during hindlimb lameness, At the walk, head movem
ent patterns changed in the same way as at the trot, while withers and
tuber sacrale patterns were hardly changed, Symmetry indices of all l
andmarks showed changes due to increasing lameness at the trot, The ma
ximal vertical acceleration of the head and displacement amplitude of
the tuber sacrale proved to be the best indicators to quantify a fore-
and hindlimb lameness, respectively.