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Preliminary data on the effect of osseous anatomy on ex vivo joint mobility in the equine thoracolumbar region.
Abstract: The thoracolumbar region is clinically important in horses; however, the link between joint mobility and bony joint morphology has not been tested quantitatively. Objective: To establish which aspects of vertebral morphology correlate with ex vivo range of motion in the thoracolumbar region of Equus caballus, and demonstrate methodologies for linking vertebral form and function. Methods: Morphometric study of osteological specimens. Methods: A digital model was created of a disarticulated thoracolumbar region to examine bone-to-bone interactions during in silico bending. Linear measurements and geometric morphometric landmarks were taken from 6 vertebrae per specimen (specimens n = 5, vertebrae n = 30), and compared with experimental range of motion in dorsiflexion, ventroflexion, lateroflexion and axial rotation data using Spearman's rank correlation, to test a priori hypotheses regarding thoracolumbar functional anatomy. Results: Decreased sagittal mobility correlates with a tall, heart-shaped vertebral body, although bony interactions restrict dorsiflexion more than ventroflexion. Lateroflexion correlates with a narrow vertebral body, a short transverse process lever arm, and narrowly placed horizontally oriented zygapophyses. Lateral joints also restrict lateroflexion in the posterior lumbar region. Axial rotation is related to the shape of the zygapophyseal joint. Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that vertebral joint morphology does determine experimentally measured range of motion, but patterns depend upon the type of motion. These methods are useful for identifying functionally relevant morphological variation and suggest osteological features are important in determining motion.
© 2015 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2015-07-23 PubMed ID: 25980342DOI: 10.1111/evj.12461Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research explores the correlation between the shape of horse vertebrae and joint motion in the thoracolumbar region. The study uses digital modeling and statistical analysis, finding that vertebral joint morphology significantly impacts the range of motion but varies for different types of motion.
Objective and Methodology
- The main aim of the study was to identify the correlation between vertebral morphology, i.e., the shape and structure of the vertebrae, and ex vivo joint mobility in the horse’s thoracolumbar region.
- To fulfill this goal, the researchers created a digital model of a disassembled vertebrae region to analyze bone interactions during simulated bending.
- They adopted Spearman’s rank correlation for data analysis, which allowed them to test their initial assumptions about the functionally relevant anatomical features of the thoracolumbar region through a correlation between the collected morphometric data and the experimental range of motion data.
Results
- The results suggested a strong correlation between the height and shape of the vertebral body and its sagittal mobility; i.e., a tall, heart-shaped vertebral body demonstrated decreased sagittal mobility.
- It was also found that bone interactions restricted dorsiflexion (backward flexion) more than ventroflexion (forward flexion).
- The study revealed that lateroflexion (side bending) was influenced by a narrow vertebral body, a short transverse process lever arm, and narrow placement of horizontally-oriented zygapophyses (the facet joints between the vertebrae).
- Zygapophyseal joint shape was found to be related to axial rotation.
Conclusions
- In conclusion, the study found that vertebral joint morphology does significantly determine the experimentally measured range of motion, but the patterns of this relationship depend upon the type of motion being executed.
- This research is considered beneficial in exploring osteological functional variation, which could aid in future research about equine mobility and related health issues.
Cite This Article
APA
Jones KE.
(2015).
Preliminary data on the effect of osseous anatomy on ex vivo joint mobility in the equine thoracolumbar region.
Equine Vet J, 48(4), 502-508.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12461 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cadaver
- Computer Simulation
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Horses / physiology
- Joints / anatomy & histology
- Joints / physiology
- Lumbar Vertebrae / physiology
- Models, Biological
- Range of Motion, Articular / physiology
- Thoracic Vertebrae / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Jones KE, Gonzalez S, Angielczyk KD, Pierce SE. Regionalization of the axial skeleton predates functional adaptation in the forerunners of mammals. Nat Ecol Evol 2020 Mar;4(3):470-478.
- Kambic RE, Roberts TJ, Gatesy SM. 3-D range of motion envelopes reveal interacting degrees of freedom in avian hind limb joints. J Anat 2017 Dec;231(6):906-920.
- Kambic RE, Biewener AA, Pierce SE. Experimental determination of three-dimensional cervical joint mobility in the avian neck. Front Zool 2017;14:37.
- Ward CV, Nalley TK, Spoor F, Tafforeau P, Alemseged Z. Thoracic vertebral count and thoracolumbar transition in Australopithecus afarensis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017 Jun 6;114(23):6000-6004.
- Jones KE. New insights on equid locomotor evolution from the lumbar region of fossil horses. Proc Biol Sci 2016 Apr 27;283(1829).
- Ogden NKE, Winderickx K, Bennell A, Stack JD. Computed tomography of the equine caudal spine and pelvis: Technique, image quality and anatomical variation in 56 clinical cases (2018-2023). Equine Vet J 2025 Sep;57(5):1265-1278.
- Taewcharoen N, Norris R, Sherratt E. Small- to medium-sized mammals show greater morphological disparity in cervical than lumbar vertebrae across different terrestrial modes of locomotion. Ecol Evol 2024 Jun;14(6):e11478.
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