Veterinary Journal
Veterinary Journal
4 years ago

Vertical head and pelvic movement symmetry at the trot in dogs with induced supporting limb lameness

Compensatory limb loading has been studied in lame dogs; however, little is known about how these compensations relate to motion of the head and pelvis, assessment of which is an important component of lameness examinations. The aim of this study was to describe the patterns of vertical head and pelvic motion symmetry at the trot in dogs with induced supporting limb lameness in the forelimbs or hind limbs. Ten sound dogs were trotted on a treadmill before and after temporary induction of moderate lameness (grade 2/5) in each limb. Reflective markers were located on the head, pelvis and right forelimb, and kinematic data were captured with a motion capture system. Upper body symmetry parameters were calculated, including differences between the highest (HDmax) and lowest (HDmin) positions of the head, and between the highest (PDmax) and lowest (PDmin) positions of the mid-pelvis, with a value of zero indicating symmetry. The head was lowered more during the sound limb stance phase and lowered less during the lame limb stance phase in supporting forelimb lameness (HDmin: 4.6mm in dogs when sound, −18.3mm when left limb lameness was induced and 20.5mm when right limb lameness was induced). The mid-pelvis was lowered more during the sound limb stance phase and lowered and lifted less during the lame limb stance phase in supporting hind limb lameness (PDmin: 1mm in dogs when sound, −10.1mm in left limb lameness and 8.4mm in right limb lameness). The hip of the lame side, measured at the level of the greater trochanter, had an increased downwards displacement during the lame limb swing phase (−21mm in left hind limb lameness, P =0.005; 23.4mm in right hind limb lameness, P =0.007). Asymmetry in the lowering of the head or mid-pelvis is a more sensitive indicator of supporting forelimb and hind limb lameness, respectively, than asymmetry in the raising of the head. Increased displacement of the hip (‘hip drop’ of the lame side during its swing phase) is a good indicator of hind limb lameness in dogs.

Publisher URL: www.sciencedirect.com/science

DOI: S1090023317301934

You might also like
Discover & Discuss Important Research

Keeping up-to-date with research can feel impossible, with papers being published faster than you'll ever be able to read them. That's where Researcher comes in: we're simplifying discovery and making important discussions happen. With over 19,000 sources, including peer-reviewed journals, preprints, blogs, universities, podcasts and Live events across 10 research areas, you'll never miss what's important to you. It's like social media, but better. Oh, and we should mention - it's free.

  • Download from Google Play
  • Download from App Store
  • Download from AppInChina

Researcher displays publicly available abstracts and doesn’t host any full article content. If the content is open access, we will direct clicks from the abstracts to the publisher website and display the PDF copy on our platform. Clicks to view the full text will be directed to the publisher website, where only users with subscriptions or access through their institution are able to view the full article.