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Equine veterinary journal2026; doi: 10.1002/evj.70300

Pelvic axial rotation in hindlimb lame horses changes after diagnostic analgesia.

Abstract: Visual assessment of mild to moderate hindlimb lameness has low sensitivity and specificity, potentially leading to flawed diagnostic procedures. Pelvic axial rotation (roll) makes the assessment more complex but is also a potential source of information. Objective: To describe pelvic roll patterns in horses with unilateral hindlimb lameness before and after diagnostic analgesia. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Optical motion capture data from 20 horses with unilateral hindlimb lameness before and after successful local analgesia (assessed visually and objectively) were retrospectively retrieved. Pelvic rotation discrete variables (e.g., range of motion, angular velocities) were calculated. Measurements before and after diagnostic analgesia were compared using mixed models with horse as random effect or Wilcoxon signed rank test for non-normally distributed variables. Results: Pelvic roll range of motion from time of pelvic vertical minimum to time of vertical maximum differed between lame and sound diagonals at baseline by 0.8° ± 0.17° (least square mean ± SE). This was reduced to 0.3° ± 0.17° after diagnostic analgesia (p = 0.004). Additionally, maximum roll angular velocity during push-off of the lame limb increased from 51° ± 12°/s (median ± median absolute deviation) to 61° ± 12°/s (+13%, p < 0.001). The pelvic rotation parameters showing the clearest difference before and after diagnostic analgesia varied between horses. Conclusions: A small sample of clinical cases with varying diagnoses and of diverse breeds. Conclusions: Pelvic roll may change due to hindlimb lameness and return towards symmetry in response to diagnostic analgesia. Roll differences can contribute to changes in hip hike symmetry. The findings suggest that future studies should investigate if pelvic roll may provide additional information useful for lameness assessment.
© 2026 The Author(s). Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2026-08-10 PubMed ID: 42576303DOI: 10.1002/evj.70300Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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Overview

  • This study investigates how the rotation of the pelvis (pelvic roll) in horses changes when they have mild to moderate lameness in one hindlimb and how this rotation pattern alters after applying diagnostic analgesia (local pain relief).
  • The goal was to determine if pelvic roll could be a valuable objective measure to improve the evaluation of lameness, which is traditionally assessed visually but with limited accuracy.

Background

  • Assessing hindlimb lameness in horses visually has low sensitivity and specificity, meaning it’s prone to both missed diagnoses and false positives.
  • Lameness evaluation can be complicated by pelvic axial rotation, a movement where the pelvis rotates along its axis (roll), which may mask or alter visible lameness signs.
  • Understanding pelvic roll patterns could enhance diagnostic accuracy by adding objective biomechanical data to the clinical assessment.

Objectives

  • Describe and quantify pelvic roll patterns in horses exhibiting unilateral hindlimb lameness.
  • Compare these patterns before and after successful diagnostic analgesia, which is used to confirm the source of lameness by numbing the affected limb locally.

Methods

  • This was a retrospective study using existing data from twenty horses diagnosed with unilateral hindlimb lameness.
  • Data were collected through optical motion capture technology, which tracks detailed movement kinematics of the pelvis during horse locomotion.
  • Key pelvic rotation variables, such as:
    • Range of motion (from minimum to maximum pelvis vertical position)
    • Angular velocities during specific gait phases (e.g., push-off phase)
  • Two conditions were compared:
    • Before diagnostic analgesia (baseline lameness state)
    • After successful diagnostic analgesia (pain relief)
  • Statistical analysis involved mixed models considering the horse as a random effect and Wilcoxon signed rank tests for variables that did not follow a normal distribution.

Results

  • Pelvic roll range of motion between the lame and sound diagonal limbs initially differed by about 0.8° ± 0.17°, indicating asymmetry due to lameness.
  • After diagnostic analgesia, this difference decreased significantly to 0.3° ± 0.17°, showing a reduction in asymmetry (p = 0.004).
  • The maximum angular velocity of pelvic roll during push-off of the lame limb increased by approximately 13% (from 51° ± 12°/s to 61° ± 12°/s) after analgesia, suggesting improved or normalized pelvic motion (p < 0.001).
  • The specific pelvic rotation parameters that changed the most after analgesia varied between individual horses, indicating differing biomechanical adaptations or injury effects.

Conclusions

  • Pelvic roll patterns are altered in horses with unilateral hindlimb lameness and tend to move back toward symmetry after pain relief via diagnostic analgesia.
  • These changes in pelvic rotation can influence hip hike symmetry, an important clinical sign in lameness evaluation.
  • Pelvic roll measurements show promise as an additional objective tool to enhance lameness diagnosis beyond traditional visual assessment.
  • The study sample was small and included a heterogeneous group of horse breeds and lameness diagnoses, so further research with larger and more controlled samples is necessary to validate and expand on these findings.
  • Future studies should explore the role of pelvic roll in different types and severities of lameness to develop improved diagnostic protocols.

Cite This Article

APA
Hernlund E, Engell MT, Persson-Sjödin E, Rhodin M, Haubro-Andersen P, Byström A. (2026). Pelvic axial rotation in hindlimb lame horses changes after diagnostic analgesia. Equine Vet J. https://doi.org/10.1002/evj.70300

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Hernlund, Elin
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Engell, Maria Terese
  • Equine Section, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
Persson-Sjödin, Emma
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Rhodin, Marie
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Haubro-Andersen, Pia
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Byström, Anna
  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Grant Funding

  • H-17-47-304 / Swedish-Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research

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