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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Effect of meloxicam treatment on movement asymmetry in ridin...
PloS one2019; 14(8); e0221117; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221117

Effect of meloxicam treatment on movement asymmetry in riding horses in training.

Abstract: Quantitative gait analysis has revealed that a large proportion of horses in training, perceived as free from lameness by their owners, show movement asymmetries of equal magnitude to horses with mild clinical lameness. Whether these movement asymmetries are related to orthopaedic pain and/or pathology has yet to be further investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether movement asymmetries in riding horses in training are affected by anti-inflammatory treatment with meloxicam. In a crossover design, horses were treated with meloxicam or placebo for four days respectively, with a 14-16 day washout period between treatments. Objective movement analysis utilising body mounted accelerometers was performed on a hard and a soft surface before and on day four of each treatment. A trial mean was calculated for the differences between the two vertical displacement minima and maxima of head (HDmin, HDmax) and pelvis (PDmin, PDmax) per stride. Horses (n = 66) with trial mean asymmetries greater than 6 mm for HDmin or HDmax, or more than 3 mm for PDmin or PDmax, at baseline were included. The difference before and after each treatment in the measured movement asymmetry was assessed with linear mixed models. Treatment with meloxicam did not significantly affect the movement asymmetry in any of the models applied (all p>0.30). These results raise new questions: are the movement asymmetries in riding horses in training simply expressions of biological variation or are they related to pain/dysfunction that is non-responsive to meloxicam treatment?
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Publication Date: 2019-08-13 PubMed ID: 31408491PubMed Central: PMC6692031DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221117Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates if anti-inflammatory medicine named meloxicam can impact movement asymmetries observed in horses under training. The research indicates meloxicam treatment doesn’t significantly affect movement asymmetry, raising question about the causes of these asymmetries.

Objective and Methodology

  • The research aimed to understand if movement asymmetries among training horses can be influenced by the use of meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug.
  • The study was based on a crossover design methodology, where horses were treated alternatively with meloxicam and a placebo, with a 14-16 day gap between treatments.
  • Movement analysis using body mounted accelerometers was performed both before and on the fourth day of each treatment. The analysis was performed on both hard and soft surfaces.

Experiment and Analysis

  • A criterion was established to zero in on horses displaying significant movement asymmetry. Horses which demonstrated more than 6 mm asymmetry for head displacement and/or more than 3 mm in the pelvis per stride were included in the study, totaling 66 subjects.
  • Pre and post treatment movement asymmetry was compared and analyzed via linear mixed models.

Outcomes and Questions Raised

  • Results suggested that meloxicam treatment did not have a substantial impact on the horse’s movement asymmetry. This was consistent across all models applied with p-values over 0.30, indicating a lack of significant differences.
  • This result sparks questions about the underlying causes of movement asymmetries in training horses. Specifically, the results challenge the assumption that these asymmetries are related to orthopaedic pain or pathology that can be treated with anti-inflammatory medicine.
  • The study suggests possible causes could be mere biological variation or may be associated with pain/dysfunction resistant to meloxicam treatment.

Cite This Article

APA
Persson-Sjodin E, Hernlund E, Pfau T, Haubro Andersen P, Holm Forsström K, Rhodin M. (2019). Effect of meloxicam treatment on movement asymmetry in riding horses in training. PLoS One, 14(8), e0221117. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221117

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 8
Pages: e0221117
PII: e0221117

Researcher Affiliations

Persson-Sjodin, Emma
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Hernlund, Elin
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Pfau, Thilo
  • Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hatfield, United Kingdom.
Haubro Andersen, Pia
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Holm Forsström, Karin
  • Equine Clinic, University Animal Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Rhodin, Marie
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Gait Analysis
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
  • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horses
  • Lameness, Animal / drug therapy
  • Lameness, Animal / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Meloxicam / pharmacology
  • Movement Disorders / drug therapy
  • Movement Disorders / physiopathology
  • Movement Disorders / veterinary
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Egenvall A, Engström H, Byström A. Back motion in unridden horses in walk, trot and canter on a circle.. Vet Res Commun 2023 May 2;.
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