Quantitative differences in activities of back and pelvic limb muscles during walking and trotting between chronically lame and nonlame horses.
Abstract: To assess differences in activities of back and pelvic limb muscles by use of surface electromyography (SEMG) in chronically lame and nonlame horses during walking and trotting. Methods: 12 nonlame horses and 12 horses with unilateral chronic mild to moderate pelvic limb lameness. Methods: On each horse, bipolar electrodes were attached to the skin over the midpoints of the right and left longissimus thoracis (Lot), semitendinosus (Set), biceps femoris (Bif), gluteus medius (Glm), and extensor digitorum longus (Edl) muscles. For each muscle, synchronous kinematic and SEMG recordings were made during walking and trotting on a treadmill; mean, maximum, and minimum muscle activities and maximum-to-mean and minimum-to-mean activity ratios were determined. For each lame or nonlame horse, data from both pelvic limbs were averaged; in lame horses, data from the nonlame and lame pelvic limbs were also examined separately (NL-L and L-L values, respectively). Comparisons were made among the 4 data sets and between gaits. Results: During walking, the NL-L maximum-to-mean ratios for Bif and Glm muscles were significantly greater and in lame horses, L-L and NL-L minimum-to-mean ratios for Set, Bif, Glm, and Lot muscles were significantly less than those for nonlame horses. During trotting, minimum-to-mean ratios for Set, Glm, and Lot muscles in lame horses were significantly lower than those for nonlame horses. Activity of the Edl muscle was not affected by lameness. Conclusions: In lame horses, variation in muscle use was detectable via SEMG. In chronically lame horses, back and pelvic limb muscle activities were affected differently during walking and trotting.
Publication Date: 2009-09-02 PubMed ID: 19719429DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.70.9.1129Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study investigates differences in muscle usage in lame and nonlame horses during walking and trotting, using surface electromyography (SEMG). It found that variation in muscle use in lame horses can be detected by SEMG and different muscles are affected differently depending on the activity performed – walking or trotting.
Research Methods
- The research involved a total of 24 horses, 12 nonlame horses and 12 horses with a unilateral chronic mild to moderate lameness in the pelvic limb.
- Bipolar electrodes were attached to the skin over the midpoints of various muscles in the horses, including right and left longissimus thoracis (Lot), semitendinosus (Set), biceps femoris (Bif), gluteus medius (Glm), and extensor digitorum longus (Edl) muscles.
- Synchronous kinematic and SEMG recordings were made as the horses walked and trotted on a treadmill.
- The mean, maximum, and minimum muscle activities and the ratios between these were determined for each horse. In lame horses, data from both the nonlame and lame pelvic limbs were examined separately.
Results
- During walking, in nonlame horses, the maximum-to-mean ratios for biceps femoris (Bif) and gluteus medius (Glm) muscles were significantly greater.
- On the other hand, in lame horses, minimum-to-mean ratios for semitendinosus (Set), biceps femoris (Bif), gluteus medius (Glm), and longissimus thoracis (Lot) muscles were significantly less than in nonlame horses during walking.
- When trotting, minimum-to-mean ratios for Set, Glm, and Lot muscles in lame horses were significantly lower than those for nonlame horses.
- The muscle activity of the extensor digitorum longus (Edl) was unaffected by lameness in both walking and trotting.
Conclusions
- This study demonstrated that muscle use in lame horses varies and could be detected using SEMG.
- The research also shows that lameness in horses affects the activity of back and pelvic limb muscles differently during walking and trotting. This information could prove useful in the diagnosis and treatment of lameness in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Zaneb H, Kaufmann V, Stanek C, Peham C, Licka TF.
(2009).
Quantitative differences in activities of back and pelvic limb muscles during walking and trotting between chronically lame and nonlame horses.
Am J Vet Res, 70(9), 1129-1134.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.70.9.1129 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Movement Science Group, Clinic for Orthopaedics, Veterinary Medicine University, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Body Size
- Electromyography
- Female
- Functional Laterality
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Lameness, Animal / physiopathology
- Male
- Muscle, Skeletal / physiology
- Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology
- Orchiectomy
- Reference Values
- Running / physiology
- Telemetry
- Walking / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- St George L, Spoormakers TJP, Roy SH, Hobbs SJ, Clayton HM, Richards J, Serra Bragança FM. Reliability of surface electromyographic (sEMG) measures of equine axial and appendicular muscles during overground trot.. PLoS One 2023;18(7):e0288664.
- St George LB, Spoormakers TJP, Smit IH, Hobbs SJ, Clayton HM, Roy SH, van Weeren PR, Richards J, Serra Bragança FM. Adaptations in equine appendicular muscle activity and movement occur during induced fore- and hindlimb lameness: An electromyographic and kinematic evaluation.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:989522.
- Ursini T, Shaw K, Levine D, Richards J, Adair HS. Electromyography of the Multifidus Muscle in Horses Trotting During Therapeutic Exercises.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:844776.
- Gamucci F, Pallante M, Molle S, Merlo E, Bertuglia A. A Preliminary Study on the Use of HD-sEMG for the Functional Imaging of Equine Superficial Muscle Activation during Dynamic Mobilization Exercises.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Mar 20;12(6).
- Ericson C, Stenfeldt P, Hardeman A, Jacobson I. The Effect of Kinesiotape on Flexion-Extension of the Thoracolumbar Back in Horses at Trot.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 13;10(2).
- Zsoldos RR, Voegele A, Krueger B, Schroeder U, Weber A, Licka TF. Long term consistency and location specificity of equine gluteus medius muscle activity during locomotion on the treadmill.. BMC Vet Res 2018 Apr 6;14(1):126.
- Vögele AM, Zsoldos RR, Krüger B, Licka T. Novel Methods for Surface EMG Analysis and Exploration Based on Multi-Modal Gaussian Mixture Models.. PLoS One 2016;11(6):e0157239.
- Valentin S, Zsoldos RR. Surface electromyography in animal biomechanics: A systematic review.. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2016 Jun;28:167-83.
- Fischer S, Nolte I, Schilling N. Adaptations in muscle activity to induced, short-term hindlimb lameness in trotting dogs.. PLoS One 2013;8(11):e80987.
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