Repeatability of back kinematics in horses during treadmill locomotion.
Abstract: We tested the hypothesis that repeatability of a standardised protocol for quantifying back kinematics is sufficiently high not to prevent its use in the clinical evaluation of horses with back problems. We investigated the extent to which differences between laboratories may affect the results when a standardised protocol is used. As a clinical tool, movement analysis techniques are helpful for the objective and quantitative assessment of kinematics. Knowledge about the repeatability of the kinematic data is very important. The present study investigates the repeatability of back kinematics in 10 sound horses over 5 successive days and in 2 laboratories (5 horses at each location). Measurements were performed on the treadmill during the walk and the trot. The between-stride, between-day and between-horse repeatability were determined. A high degree of between-stride and between-day repeatability was observed in the spatiotemporal parameters and in the time-angle diagrams of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum and the hindlimb during both the walk and trot. Much more variability was found between horses, with the highest degree of dissimilarity in the lateral bending rotation of the L1 vertebra. For range of motion values, the between-day coefficient of variability was <14% and the between-horse coefficient of variability was up to 4 times higher. Small differences were found in range of motion values between the 2 laboratories. It is concluded that an analysis of back kinematics in the horse can provide highly repeatable data, warranting clinical use.
Publication Date: 2002-07-11 PubMed ID: 12108740DOI: 10.2746/042516402776186010Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research studies the consistent results of a standard protocol evaluating the movement of horses’ backs. Researchers discovered a high level of result repeatability in multiple labs using this protocol, which makes it a reliable method in clinical assessment of equine back problems.
Hypothesis and Objectives
- The researchers hypothesized that the repeatability of a standard protocol used for back kinematic evaluation in horses is sufficiently high, thus making it suitable for clinical evaluation of horses with back problems.
- The goal was to determine the degree of variability between laboratories using the same standard protocol.
Methodology
- The study involved ten sound horses; five were examined in one laboratory and the other five in a second lab for five successive days.
- The subject horses were induced to locomotion on treadmills during walk and trot cycles.
- Using movement analysis techniques, recorded data included time-angle diagrams and spatiotemporal parameters.
- The study aimed to ascertain the between-stride, between-day, and between-horse repeatability of the kinematic data.
Results and Findings
- The data analysis showed a high degree of repeatability both between strides and between days for the spatiotemporal parameters and the time-angle diagrams involving thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and hindlimb.
- There was a considerably higher degree of variability among the different horses, especially in the lateral bending rotation of the L1 vertebra.
- The between-day coefficient of variability for range of motion values was less than 14%, while the between-horse coefficient of variability was up to four times higher.
- The result was nearly the same in the two different labs, showing only small differences in range of motion values.
Conclusion
- The standardised protocol for evaluating back kinematics in horses was found to yield highly consistent or repeatable data, making it a viable tool for use in a clinical setting.
- The research findings endorse the use of this protocol for objective and quantitative assessment of kinematics in horses with back problems, promoting the accuracy and consistency of data across different scenarios.
Cite This Article
APA
Faber M, Johnston C, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.
(2002).
Repeatability of back kinematics in horses during treadmill locomotion.
Equine Vet J, 34(3), 235-241.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516402776186010 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Back / physiology
- Back Pain / diagnosis
- Back Pain / physiopathology
- Back Pain / veterinary
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Female
- Gait / physiology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses / physiology
- Locomotion
- Lumbar Vertebrae / physiology
- Male
- Reproducibility of Results
- Sacrum / physiology
- Thoracic Vertebrae / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 11 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.
- 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).
- Darbandi H, Serra Bragança F, van der Zwaag BJ, Voskamp J, Gmel AI, Haraldsdóttir EH, Havinga P. Using Different Combinations of Body-Mounted IMU Sensors to Estimate Speed of Horses-A Machine Learning Approach. Sensors (Basel) 2021 Jan 26;21(3).
- Argüelles D, Becero M, Muñoz A, Saitua A, Ramón T, Gascón E, Sánchez de Medina A, Prades M. Accelerometric Changes before and after Capacitive Resistive Electric Transfer Therapy in Horses with Thoracolumbar Pain Compared to a SHAM Procedure. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 5;10(12).
- Elmeua González M, Šarabon N. Muscle modes of the equestrian rider at walk, rising trot and canter. PLoS One 2020;15(8):e0237727.
- Hardeman AM, Byström A, Roepstorff L, Swagemakers JH, van Weeren PR, Serra Bragança FM. Range of motion and between-measurement variation of spinal kinematics in sound horses at trot on the straight line and on the lunge. PLoS One 2020;15(2):e0222822.
- Catavitello G, Ivanenko Y, Lacquaniti F. A kinematic synergy for terrestrial locomotion shared by mammals and birds. Elife 2018 Oct 30;7.
- Gustås P, Pettersson K, Honkavaara S, Lagerstedt AS, Byström A. Kinematic and spatiotemporal assessment of habituation to treadmill walking in Labrador retrievers. Acta Vet Scand 2016 Dec 28;58(1):87.
- Pécresse B, Moiroud C, Hanne-Poujade S, Hatrisse C, De Azevedo E, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Audigié F, Chateau H. Group and Individual Changes in Spinal Mobility During a 12-Week Rehabilitation Program Including Swimming in Horses with Axial Musculoskeletal Lesions. Animals (Basel) 2025 Dec 30;16(1).
- Belyaev RI, Kuznetsov AN, Prilepskaya NE. Truly dorsostable runners: Vertebral mobility in rhinoceroses, tapirs, and horses. J Anat 2023 Apr;242(4):568-591.
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