Kinetic Analysis in Horses With Deep Digital Flexor Tendinopathy Within the Digit Diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Abstract: To determine the stance duration and ground reaction forces (GRF) of horses with deep digital flexor (DDF) tendinopathy at the level of the foot and compare the stance duration and GRF to those of clinically sound horses. Unassigned: Prospective clinical study. Unassigned: Sixteen horses (seven horses with bilateral forelimb lameness, four horses with unilateral forelimb lameness, and five horses with no lameness). Unassigned: Analyses of kinetic variables were performed on both forelimbs from sound horses and horses diagnosed with chronic DDF tendinopathy. Stance duration and longitudinal and vertical components of the GRF were determined for the limbs of clinically sound horses and limbs of horses with DDF tendinopathy. Separate Spearman correlation analyses were used to assess potential association within groups (combined left and right forelimbs of clinically sound horses, lamest limbs of horses with DDF tendinopathy, and contralateral limbs of horses with DDF tendinopathy) and with the set of kinetic variables. Analysis of variance on mean ranks of tied values was used to determine differences in kinetic variables between groups (PROC GLIMMIX) using the kinetic values of the clinically sound horses as the reference group. Unassigned: There were a total of 11 lame horses. Seven horses had bilateral forelimb lameness and four had unilateral lameness. Of the 11 horses, there were 15 DDF tendinopathies. There were eight dorsal border DDF tendinopathies, five core DDF tendinopathies, and two sagittal/parasagittal splits DDF tendinopathies. The most lame limbs of horses with DDF tendinopathy had significantly smaller values for peak vertical force and time of peak braking force than did forelimbs of clinically sound horses. Also, the most lame limbs of horses with DDF tendinopathy had significantly larger values for the time of peak vertical force than did forelimbs of clinically sound horses. Unassigned: Horses with chronic DDF tendinopathies develop certain alterations of GRF parameters. This information can be used in future studies to determine if particular kinetic variable changes in horses with DDF tendinopathies differ from those of horses with other pathologies within the foot and therefore could be diagnostic.
Copyright © 2022 Madsen, Gutierrez-Nibeyro, Stewart, McCoy and Schaeffer.
Publication Date: 2022-05-31 PubMed ID: 35711793PubMed Central: PMC9195072DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.893026Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study carefully examines the stance duration and ground reaction forces in horses suffering from deep digital flexor tendinopathy in order to gain a better understanding of the condition and compare the findings to those from healthy horses.
Research Objectives
- The primary goal of this study was to investigate stance duration and ground reaction forces (GRF) of horses diagnosed with deep digital flexor (DDF) tendinopathy, a common but poorly understood condition that affects horses’ feet.
- The study involved analyzing kinetic variables in both affected horses and clinically sound horses, comparing the results to improve understanding of how DDF tendinopathy alters normal behaviour.
- Another key aim of this work was to determine if the observed changes in kinetic variables could be used to identify DDF tendinopathy in horses, potentially leading to more effective diagnosis methods in the future.
Methodology
- The study was a prospective clinical examination involving sixteen horses. Seven horses showed bilateral forelimb lameness, four exhibited unilateral forelimb lameness, and five horses showed no lameness.
- Kinetic variables were analyzed from forelimbs of both affected and healthy horses. Specific variables assessed included stance duration and longitudinal and vertical components of the GRF. Separate Spearman correlation analyses were carried out to assess possible associations within different groups, while analysis of variance was used to identify differences in kinetic variables between groups.
Findings
- Out of the total participating horses, eleven were identified as lame. Among these, seven horses had bilateral forelimb lameness and four had unilateral lameness. A total of 15 DDF tendinopathies were identified in these horses, with variations in the nature and location of the tendinopathies.
- Compared to healthy horses, the most affected limbs of horses with DDF tendinopathy had significantly smaller values for peak vertical force and time of peak breaking force.
- Additionally, these limbs also demonstrated a significantly larger time for peak vertical force compared to clinically sound horses’ limbs.
Conclusions
- These results suggest chronic DDF tendinopathies in horses lead to specific alterations in GRF parameters. Hence, these could be potentially used in future studies to determine if specific kinetic changes can be diagnostic for DDF tendinopathies in horses, which would be important for early diagnosis and effective treatment.
Cite This Article
APA
Madsen LM, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Stewart MC, McCoy AM, Schaeffer DJ.
(2022).
Kinetic Analysis in Horses With Deep Digital Flexor Tendinopathy Within the Digit Diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Front Vet Sci, 9, 893026.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.893026 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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