Accuracy and precision of hind limb foot contact timings of horses determined using a pelvis-mounted inertial measurement unit.
Abstract: Gait analysis using small sensor units is becoming increasingly popular in the clinical context. In order to segment continuous movement from a defined point of the stride cycle, knowledge about footfall timings is essential. We evaluated the accuracy and precision of foot contact timings of a defined limb determined using an inertial sensor mounted on the pelvis of ten horses during walk and trot at different speeds and in different directions. Foot contact was estimated from vertical velocity events occurring before maximum sensor roll towards the contralateral limb. Foot contact timings matched data from a synchronised hoof mounted accelerometer well when velocity minimum was used for walk (mean (SD) difference of 15 (18)ms across horses) and velocity zero-crossing for trot (mean (SD) difference from -4 (14) to 12 (7)ms depending on the condition). The stride segmentation method also remained robust when applied to movement data of hind limb lame horses. In future, this method may find application in segmenting overground sensor data of various species.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012-04-05 PubMed ID: 22483227DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.03.014Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research discusses the accuracy and precision of detecting foot contact timings of horse using an inertial sensor mounted on its pelvis. It was found to be effective even at different speeds and directions, and in cases of hind limb lame horses.
Research Objective
This study was aimed at understanding the effectiveness of using an inertial sensor, mounted on a horse’s pelvis, in accurately determining the timings of foot contact during movement. It was conducted across different conditions – walking, trotting, variance in speed, and directions. The method was also tested on horses suffering from hind limb lameness.
Methodology
- Ten horses were used in the study, each of them mounted with an inertial sensor on their pelvis.
- The stride cycle was broken down into continuous movements, making footfall timings essential to understand the pattern.
- Foot contact was calculated based on vertical velocity events occurring immediately before the maximum sensor roll towards the opposite limb.
- The study spanned across different conditions such as varying speeds, directions and was also conducted on hind limb lame horses.
Findings
- It was found that the foot contact timings corresponded well with data obtained from a hoof-mounted accelerometer when the minimum velocity was used in the case of walking horses. The mean difference across the horses was 15 (18)ms.
- For trotting horses, the mean difference ranged from -4 (14)ms to 12 (7)ms depending on the condition, when the velocity zero-crossing was used.
- The stride segmentation method remained stable and accurate even when applied to hind limb lame horses.
Applications
- The research concludes with the potential application of this method in segmenting overground sensor data of various species, not limited to horses, thus making it a potentially useful tool in animal movement analysis.
Cite This Article
APA
Starke SD, Witte TH, May SA, Pfau T.
(2012).
Accuracy and precision of hind limb foot contact timings of horses determined using a pelvis-mounted inertial measurement unit.
J Biomech, 45(8), 1522-1528.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.03.014 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, United Kingdom. sstarke@rvc.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Acceleration
- Animals
- Equipment Design
- Equipment Failure Analysis
- Foot / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Locomotion / physiology
- Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation
- Monitoring, Ambulatory / veterinary
- Pelvis / physiology
- Reproducibility of Results
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Transducers / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 19 times.- Crecan CM, Peștean CP. Inertial Sensor Technologies-Their Role in Equine Gait Analysis, a Review.. Sensors (Basel) 2023 Jul 11;23(14).
- Crecan CM, Morar IA, Lupsan AF, Repciuc CC, Rus MA, Pestean CP. Development of a Novel Approach for Detection of Equine Lameness Based on Inertial Sensors: A Preliminary Study.. Sensors (Basel) 2022 Sep 19;22(18).
- Pfau T, Bolt DM, Fiske-Jackson A, Gerdes C, Hoenecke K, Lynch L, Perrier M, Smith RKW. Linear Discriminant Analysis for Investigating Differences in Upper Body Movement Symmetry in Horses before/after Diagnostic Analgesia in Relation to Expert Judgement.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Mar 17;12(6).
- Pfau T, Scott WM, Sternberg Allen T. Upper Body Movement Symmetry in Reining Quarter Horses during Trot In-Hand, on the Lunge and during Ridden Exercise.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 27;12(5).
- Starke SD, May SA. Robustness of five different visual assessment methods for the evaluation of hindlimb lameness based on tubera coxarum movement in horses at the trot on a straight line.. Equine Vet J 2022 Nov;54(6):1103-1113.
- Clayton H, MacKechnie-Guire R, Byström A, Le Jeune S, Egenvall A. Guidelines for the Measurement of Rein Tension in Equestrian Sport.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 30;11(10).
- Pfau T, Persson-Sjodin E, Gardner H, Orssten O, Hernlund E, Rhodin M. Effect of Speed and Surface Type on Individual Rein and Combined Left-Right Circle Movement Asymmetry in Horses on the Lunge.. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:692031.
- Steinke SL, Montgomery JB, Barden JM. Accelerometry-Based Step Count Validation for Horse Movement Analysis During Stall Confinement.. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:681213.
- Marunova E, Dod L, Witte S, Pfau T. Smartphone-Based Pelvic Movement Asymmetry Measures for Clinical Decision Making in Equine Lameness Assessment.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 3;11(6).
- MacKechnie-Guire R, Pfau T. Differential rotational movement and symmetry values of the thoracolumbosacral region in high-level dressage horses when trotting.. PLoS One 2021;16(5):e0251144.
- MacKechnie-Guire R, Pfau T. Differential Rotational Movement of the Thoracolumbosacral Spine in High-Level Dressage Horses Ridden in a Straight Line, in Sitting Trot and Seated Canter Compared to In-Hand Trot.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 20;11(3).
- Hayati H, Mahdavi F, Eager D. Analysis of Agile Canine Gait Characteristics Using Accelerometry.. Sensors (Basel) 2019 Oct 10;19(20).
- MacKechnie-Guire R, MacKechnie-Guire E, Fairfax V, Fisher D, Fisher M, Pfau T. The Effect of Tree Width on Thoracolumbar and Limb Kinematics, Saddle Pressure Distribution, and Thoracolumbar Dimensions in Sports Horses in Trot and Canter.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Oct 21;9(10).
- Vertz J, Deblanc D, Rhodin M, Pfau T. Effect of a unilateral hind limb orthotic lift on upper body movement symmetry in the trotting horse.. PLoS One 2018;13(6):e0199447.
- Bosch S, Serra Bragança F, Marin-Perianu M, Marin-Perianu R, van der Zwaag BJ, Voskamp J, Back W, van Weeren R, Havinga P. EquiMoves: A Wireless Networked Inertial Measurement System for Objective Examination of Horse Gait.. Sensors (Basel) 2018 Mar 13;18(3).
- Pfau T, Noordwijk K, Sepulveda Caviedes MF, Persson-Sjodin E, Barstow A, Forbes B, Rhodin M. Head, withers and pelvic movement asymmetry and their relative timing in trot in racing Thoroughbreds in training.. Equine Vet J 2018 Jan;50(1):117-124.
- Bragança FM, Bosch S, Voskamp JP, Marin-Perianu M, Van der Zwaag BJ, Vernooij JCM, van Weeren PR, Back W. Validation of distal limb mounted inertial measurement unit sensors for stride detection in Warmblood horses at walk and trot.. Equine Vet J 2017 Jul;49(4):545-551.
- Starke SD, Clayton HM. A universal approach to determine footfall timings from kinematics of a single foot marker in hoofed animals.. PeerJ 2015;3:e783.
- Olsen E, Andersen PH, Pfau T. Accuracy and precision of equine gait event detection during walking with limb and trunk mounted inertial sensors.. Sensors (Basel) 2012;12(6):8145-56.
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