Examining stance phases with the help of infrared optical sensors in horses

Ozan Gündemi̇r,Kozet Avanus,Dilek Olğun Erdi̇kmen,Ziynet Dila Ateşpare

doi:10.3906/vet-1902-43

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the walking phases in horses using the OptoGait system, which works with optical sensors. In this pilot study, 52 healthy horses were used. For each horse, an average of 45 steps were examined. The stance phase, swing phase, step distance, and walking speeds of the horses were recorded. The stance phase of each step was examined in a separate manner in 3 steps: contact phase, foot flat, and propulsive phase. The contact phase and the propulsive phase of the forelimb and hind limb were significantly different. The propulsive phase was significantly shorter in the forelimb compared to in the hind limb, and the contact phase was significantly shorter in the hind limb. The fact that the propulsive phase of the European warmblood horses used in our study was longer than that of the British and Arabian horses was significant. It is considered that this technique might be used in the diagnosis of lameness in horses in the future with the reference measurements that were created with these data obtained from healthy horses.

Highlights

IntroductionGait analysis systems are used commonly, especially in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases
In medicine, gait analysis systems are used commonly, especially in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. This method has been included in veterinary medicine as well
The use of gait analyses is becoming widespread in the diagnosis and treatment of gait disorders as well as in demonstrating the normal biomechanical characteristics of animals

Summary

Introduction

Gait analysis systems are used commonly, especially in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. In recent years, this method has been included in veterinary medicine as well. The third and last part consists of the time spent between the moment when the foot leaves the ground and the moment when the contact with the ground ends completely. The swing phase, on the other hand, is the part when the foot is moving in the air These two phases together form the step. When these phases’ times differ from normal values, this indicates a pathological condition.

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Results