Associations of force plate and body-mounted inertial sensor measurements for identification of hind limb lameness in horses

Abstract

Inertial sensor-derived measurements of asymmetric pelvic fall (difference in minimum pelvic position) indicated a decrease in vertical GRF, but similar measurements of asymmetric pelvis rise (difference in maximum pelvic position) indicated a transfer of vertical to horizontal force impulse in the second half of the stance. Evaluation of both pelvic rise and fall may be important when assessing hind limb lameness in horses.

Repeatability of gait analysis measurements in Thoroughbreds in training

“…Gait asymmetry is associated with a change in force distribution between contralateral limbs [3,4], and force plate measurements have highlighted the potential of subtle changes to be useful for detecting impending injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon [5]. This is a first step towards exploring the potential benefits of longterm monitoring of gait asymmetry parameters for early detection of impending injuries providing veterinarians with quantitative data.…”

“…Eleven of the 14 gait parameters show smaller weekly ICC values averaging to 0.645, while daily ICC values show a higher average of 0.732. The minimum position of the pelvis (PD min ) is related to the amount of peak vertical force production during contralateral hindlimb stance phases [4]. the two parameters showing the largest differences between daily and weekly values, Table 3) are found for pelvic gait parameters calculated from differences between the minimum position of the tubera coxae (LD min and RD min ).…”

Head and pelvic movement asymmetries at trot in riding horses in training and perceived as free from lameness by the owner

“…Asymmetries are generally caused by differences in loading and force production between limbs [11,29]. However, we do not know whether such asymmetries always are related to pain.…”

“…In trot, the non-lame horse shows a symmetric sinusoidal motion pattern of head and pelvis which undergoes systematic changes when loading of the limbs changes, for example as a result of lameness [8–10]. The differences in maximum and minimum position of head or pelvis between left/right stances (HDmin, HDmax, PDmin and PDmax) are examples of symmetry measures commonly used for quantification of lameness and are directly linked to the underlying changes in limb loading and propulsion [10,11]. Today, commercially available biomechanical techniques are being developed and validated for detecting changes in gait symmetry suitable for research and clinical practice [12–14].…”

Changes in movement symmetry over the stages of the shoeing process in military working horses

“…It is important to mention that it is not possible to relate the recorded movement asymmetries exclusively to pain related lameness, which would require a full clinical lameness examination including diagnostic analgesia. However, similar changes in MS (head nod and hip hike) are observed clinically and have been linked to the underlying mechanics (Buchner and others 1996) and an uneven force distribution between contralateral limbs (Keegan and others 2012, Bell and others, 2016). It hence seems reasonable to argue that the horses classified outside normal limits show differences in force production between contralateral limbs.…”