Abstract
Ground reaction force and impulse measurement is an established method for assessing the physical condition and efficacy of treatment for some animals. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the kinetic parameters of the limbs of healthy cats at different speeds. The second aim was to determine the explicit relationship between the kinetic parameters and speed. Peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI), stance phase duration (SPD), and paw contact area (PCA) of each limb (forelimb, F; hindlimb, H) of seven clinically healthy, client-owned cats were recorded in the speed interval of 0.5–2.5 m/s. The cats were encouraged to pass by a pressure-sensitive walkway with different speeds. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in any of the tested parameters between the left and right forelimbs and the left and right hindlimbs. Means and regression formulas of the kinetic parameters with speed were obtained. It was evident that PVF-F and PVF-H increased linearly with speed, while VI-F and VI-H decreased exponentially. SPD-F was practically equal to SPD-H and exponentially decreased with speed. PCA-F increased linearly with speed, and PCA-H was almost invariable. Pressure-sensitive walkway is a suitable and convenient equipment for assessing the kinetic parameters of cats. Variation of these kinetic parameters with speed can be explained by the functional difference for forelimb-dominant and hindlimb-driven.
Highlights
Ground reaction forces and impulses are used to assess lameness induced by diseases and the effect of treatment on affected individuals [1,2,3,4]. is effective method has been adopted for some animals to evaluate their health condition and motion characteristics
All cats were accommodated in the testing room for one week. e feeding, sport, and training activities before testing were performed in this week. is study was approved by the Mechanics Laboratory of Jiangsu University, and owner consent was obtained for each cat enrolled in this study [27]
The kinetic parameters of seven cats moving at different speeds were collected. ey were encouraged to walk across a pressure-sensitive walkway with different speeds
Summary
Ground reaction forces and impulses are used to assess lameness induced by diseases (such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease) and the effect of treatment on affected individuals [1,2,3,4]. is effective method has been adopted for some animals to evaluate their health condition and motion characteristics. With the objective measurement provided by force plate analysis, researchers can acquire the motion characteristics of dogs. Force plate analysis has been used to evaluate the efficacy of treatments for perioperative or chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis [7,8,9]. Owing to the reliability and effectiveness of this method, force plate analysis has become an objective standard in the evaluation of canine locomotion. The severity of lameness and pain cannot be determined reliably using radiographs or orthopedic examination, as these are not in accordance with the results derived from force plate analysis [19, 20]. E first purpose of this study was to quantify the kinetic parameters of healthy cats at different speeds using a pressure-sensitive walkway. E first purpose of this study was to quantify the kinetic parameters of healthy cats at different speeds using a pressure-sensitive walkway. e second purpose was to determine the explicit relationships between the kinetic parameters and speed
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