The purpose of this study was to evaluate a simplified method of walking track
analysis to assess treatment outcome in canine spinal cord injury. Measurements of stride
length (SL) and base of support (BS) were made using a ‘finger painting’
technique for footprint analysis in all limbs of 20 normal dogs and 27 dogs with 28
episodes of acute thoracolumbar spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by spontaneous
intervertebral disc extrusion. Measurements were determined at three separate time points
in normal dogs and on day 3, 10 and 30 following decompressive surgery in dogs with SCI.
Values for SL, BS and coefficient of variance (COV) for each parameter were compared
between groups at each time point.
Mean SL was significantly shorter in all four limbs of SCI-affected dogs at days
3, 10, and 30 compared to normal dogs. SL gradually increased toward normal in the 30 days
following surgery. As measured by this technique, the COV-SL was significantly higher in
SCI-affected dogs than normal dogs in both thoracic limbs (TL) and pelvic limbs (PL) only
at day 3 after surgery. BS-TL was significantly wider in SCI-affected dogs at days 3, 10
and 30 following surgery compared to normal dogs. These findings support the use of
footprint parameters to compare locomotor differences between normal and SCI-affected
dogs, and to assess recovery from SCI. Additionally, our results underscore important
changes in TL locomotion in thoracolumbar SCI-affected dogs.
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