Impact during equine locomotion: techniques for measurement and analysis.
Abstract: Impact is implicated in the development of several types of musculoskeletal injury in the horse. Characterisation of impact experienced during strenuous exercise is an important first step towards understanding the mechanism for injury. Measurement and analysis of large, short duration impacts is difficult. The measurement system must be able to record transient peaks and high frequencies accurately. The analysis technique must be able to characterise the impact signal in time and frequency. This paper presents a measurement system and analysis technique for the characterisation of large impacts. A piezo-electric accelerometer was securely mounted on the dorsal surface of the horses hoof. Saddle mounted charge amplifiers and a 20 m coaxial cable transferred these data to a PC based logging system. Data were down-loaded onto a UNIX workstation and analysed using a proprietary statistics package. The values of parameters calculated from the time series data were comparable to those of other authors. A wavelet decomposition showed that the frequency profile of the signal changed with time. While most spectral energy was seen at impact, a significant amount of energy was contained in the signal immediately following impact. Over 99% of this energy was contained in frequencies less than 1250 Hz. The sampling rate and the frequency response of a measurement system for recording impact should be chosen carefully to prevent loss or corruption of data. Time scale analysis using a wavelet decomposition is a powerful technique which can be used to characterise impact data. The use of contour plots provides a highly visual representation of the time and frequency localisation of power during impact.
Publication Date: 1997-05-01 PubMed ID: 9354278DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1997.tb05042.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The researchers developed a technique to measure and analyze the impact on horses during locomotion, aiding the understanding of musculoskeletal injuries in horses. They developed a measurement system using a piezo-electric accelerometer and a computer-based recording device, along with an analysis technique.
Development of the Measurement System
- The researchers designed a measurement system that is capable of recording large impacts that occur for a short duration. This required a system that can record transient peaks and high frequencies accurately.
- For data collection, a piezo-electric accelerometer was placed on the dorsal surface of the horse’s hoof. This device helps measure the amount of impact each hoof experiences during movement.
- The data collected by the accelerometer was then transferred to a computer-based logging system. This was done using saddle-mounted charge amplifiers and a 20m coaxial cable.
- Once collected, the data were then moved onto a UNIX workstation for further analysis.
Data Analysis Procedure
- The analysis technique developed by the researchers aimed to characterize the impact signal in both time and frequency.
- Analysis was conducted using a specific statistics package. This allowed researchers to understand the impact experienced by the horse through numerical parameters.
- The values of the parameters calculated from the time-series data were found to be comparable to those discoveries of other authors in the field.
Frequency Analysis and Recommendations
- Frequency analysis of the impact signal showed a change in profile over time. While most spectral energy was observed at impact, there was also a significant level of energy seen in the signal immediately following impact.
- The researchers found that over 99% of this energy was contained in frequencies less than 1250 Hertz.
- These results indicate the importance of carefully choosing the sampling rate and frequency response of a measurement system for recording impact, particularly to prevent data loss or corruption.
Time-Scale Analysis and Representation
- The researchers employed time-scale analysis using wavelet decomposition which they found to be effective in characterising the impact data.
- The use of contour plots offered a highly visual and easily understandable representation of the time and frequency localisation of power during impact.
- This kind of visual aid can be instrumental in the comprehension and interpretation of complex data.
Cite This Article
APA
Burn JF, Wilson A, Nason GP.
(1997).
Impact during equine locomotion: techniques for measurement and analysis.
Equine Vet J Suppl(23), 9-12.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1997.tb05042.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Anatomy, School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Acceleration
- Animals
- Equipment and Supplies / veterinary
- Hoof and Claw / physiology
- Horses / injuries
- Horses / physiology
- Locomotion / physiology
- Methods
- Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Time Factors
- Weight-Bearing / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Horan K, Coburn J, Kourdache K, Day P, Carnall H, Brinkley L, Harborne D, Hammond L, Peterson M, Millard S, Pfau T. Hoof Impact and Foot-Off Accelerations in Galloping Thoroughbred Racehorses Trialling Eight Shoe-Surface Combinations. Animals (Basel) 2022 Aug 23;12(17).
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