Kinematics of the equine thoracolumbar spine.
Abstract: At least three types of movement take place in the joint complexes of the equine thoracolumbar spine: dorsoventral flexion and extension, axial rotation and lateral bending. Using the standard right-handed Cartesian coordinate system, these movements may be defined as rotation about the x, y and z axes respectively. Except in cases of intervertebral fusion, all three types of movement occur in each joint complex of the equine back. The greatest amount of dorsoventral movement takes place at the lumbosacral and the first thoracic intervertebral joints. The greatest amount of axial rotation and lateral bending was measured in the mid-thoracolumbar spine at the level of the 11th or 12th thoracic intervertebral joints. The caudal thoracic and the lumbar spine is the least mobile region of the equine back. In the mid-thoracic spine, lateral bending was always accompanied by a "coupled" axial rotation. The presence of the rib cage stabilised the cranial thoracic vertebrae against axial rotation.
Publication Date: 1983-04-01 PubMed ID: 6873044DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01732.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article investigates the three types of movements that occur in the joint complexes of a horse’s thoracolumbar spine which are: dorsoventral flexion and extension, axial rotation and lateral bending. The study finds that these movements occur at varying degrees across this region of the spine.
Motion Types
- The study first defines the three types of movements. Dorsoventral flexion and extension involves rocking back and forth along the spine’s length. Axial rotation refers to the spine twisting along its axis. Lateral bending explains the movement of the spine bending from side to side.
Movement Locations
- The researchers identify that all of these movements are found throughout the joint complexes of the equine back except in cases of intervertebral fusion where the movement may be limited or absent.
- Particular movements are more prevalent at certain areas of the spine. For example, the maximum level of dorsoventral movement is found at the lumbosacral and the first thoracic intervertebral joints. Whereas, the highest level of axial rotation and lateral bending was seen at the mid-thoracolumbar spine, specifically around the 11th or 12th thoracic intervertebral joints.
Least Mobile Region
- The study notes that the least mobile region of the equine back is the caudal thoracic and the lumbar spine. This could potentially be due to the increased structural support requirements in these areas.
Coupling of Movements
- The researchers then discuss the concept of “coupled” movements, where two forms of motion occur together. In the mid-thoracic spine, lateral bending always appears along with axial rotation.
Role of the Rib Cage
- The rib cage plays a crucial role in stabilizing the cranial thoracic vertebrae against axial rotation, demonstrating how the structure of the surrounding anatomy impacts spinal movement.
The findings of this research give important insights into the kinematics of the equine thoracolumbar spine that can be beneficial in veterinary medicine for diagnosing, treating, and preventing horse back disorders.
Cite This Article
APA
Townsend HG, Leach DH, Fretz PB.
(1983).
Kinematics of the equine thoracolumbar spine.
Equine Vet J, 15(2), 117-122.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01732.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Female
- Horses / physiology
- Lumbar Vertebrae / physiology
- Male
- Movement
- Rotation
- Spine / physiology
- Thoracic Vertebrae / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Scilimati N, Angeli G, Di Meo A, Dall'Aglio C, Pepe M, Beccati F. Post-Mortem Computed Tomographic Features of the Most Caudal Lumbar Vertebrae, Anatomical Variations and Acquired Osseous Pathological Changes, in a Mixed Population of Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 19;13(4).
- Biedrzycki AH, Elane GL. Three-Dimensional Modeling and In Silico Kinematic Evaluation of Interspinous Ligament Desmotomy in Horses.. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022;10:817300.
- Simonato SP, Bernardina GRD, Ferreira LCR, Silvatti AP, Barcelos KMC, da Fonseca BPA. 3D kinematic of the thoracolumbar spine in Mangalarga Marchador horses performing the marcha batida gait and being led by hand-A preliminary report.. PLoS One 2021;16(7):e0253697.
- Byström A, Hardeman AM, Serra Bragança FM, Roepstorff L, Swagemakers JH, van Weeren PR, Egenvall A. Differences in equine spinal kinematics between straight line and circle in trot.. Sci Rep 2021 Jun 18;11(1):12832.
- 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).
- Belyaev RI, Kuznetsov AN, Prilepskaya NE. A mechanistic approach for the calculation of intervertebral mobility in mammals based on vertebrae osteometry.. J Anat 2021 Jan;238(1):113-130.
- Giraldo A, Pinard CL, Plattner BL, Dubois MS. Periocular sarcoid with bone invasion in a Thoroughbred mare.. Can Vet J 2020 Apr;61(4):415-419.
- Kambic RE, Biewener AA, Pierce SE. Experimental determination of three-dimensional cervical joint mobility in the avian neck.. Front Zool 2017;14:37.
- García Liñeiro JA, Graziotti GH, Rodríguez Menéndez JM, Ríos CM, Affricano NO, Victorica CL. Structural and functional characteristics of the thoracolumbar multifidus muscle in horses.. J Anat 2017 Mar;230(3):398-406.
- Jones KE. New insights on equid locomotor evolution from the lumbar region of fossil horses.. Proc Biol Sci 2016 Apr 27;283(1829).
- Gunji M, Endo H. Functional cervicothoracic boundary modified by anatomical shifts in the neck of giraffes.. R Soc Open Sci 2016 Feb;3(2):150604.
- Nowroozi BN, Brainerd EL. Regional variation in the mechanical properties of the vertebral column during lateral bending in Morone saxatilis.. J R Soc Interface 2012 Oct 7;9(75):2667-79.
- Dunbar DC, Macpherson JM, Simmons RW, Zarcades A. Stabilization and mobility of the head, neck and trunk in horses during overground locomotion: comparisons with humans and other primates.. J Exp Biol 2008 Dec;211(Pt 24):3889-907.
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