Abstract
Background: Swimming is used for rehabilitation and conditioning purposes in equine sports medicine despite the lack of understanding of equine swimming kinematics. The aim of this study was to assess forelimb joints kinematics (elbow, carpus, and fetlock) in swimming horses. The specific objectives were 1- to calculate and compare joint angles in swimming vs. passive mobilizations (PM), 2- to determine joint angular velocities during a swimming stride cycle.Methods: Eleven elite endurance horses swam in a 100-m straight pool. Underwater (swimming) and overground (PM) videos were recorded from the horses' left side. Joint markers were applied on the lateral hoof wall, lateral metacarpal epicondyle, ulnar carpal bone, lateral humeral epicondyle, and the greater tubercle of humerus, from which elbow, carpus and fetlock angles, and angular velocities were obtained. As a reference, maximal fetlock, carpus, and elbow flexion/extension angles were determined during PM overground. Differences between angle extrema, angular velocities and range of motion (ROM) were compared.Results: Carpus and fetlock ROM were significantly smaller (p < 0.001) during swimming when compared with PM, while there was no difference in elbow ROM between both situations. The carpus had the greatest ROM of all joints during swimming. Absolute angular velocities values of all joints during swimming were greater during retraction than protraction (p < 0.001). When compared to other joints during protraction, the carpus joint reached the highest angular velocity.Conclusion: Swimming, as a rehabilitation exercise, has the potential to benefit horses where great elbow ROM with a moderate carpus and fetlock extension are wanted.
Highlights
The potential therapeutic benefits of hydrotherapy have been studied previously in humans, as buoyancy and viscosity enable increased muscle activation and reduced joint loading [1,2,3,4,5]
Horse Swimming: Forelimbs Kinematic Analysis swimming as a form of cross-training and rehabilitation is scarce in the literature [8, 9]
It has been shown that water treadmill exercise causes a decrease in angular velocity of the forelimb when compared to dry conditions, in both the protraction and retraction phases - likely due to increasing drag created by water [14]
Summary
The potential therapeutic benefits of hydrotherapy have been studied previously in humans, as buoyancy and viscosity enable increased muscle activation and reduced joint loading [1,2,3,4,5]. Aquatic exercise programs with water treadmills and swimming pools are used in horses for rehabilitation and conditioning [6,7,8,9]. Changes in gait have been documented during water treadmill exercise in deep water with an increase in the range of motion (ROM) of the carpus, tarsus and fetlock joints [12, 13]. It has been shown that water treadmill exercise causes a decrease in angular velocity of the forelimb when compared to dry conditions, in both the protraction and retraction phases - likely due to increasing drag created by water [14]. The aim of this study was to assess forelimb joints kinematics (elbow, carpus, and fetlock) in swimming horses. The specific objectives were 1- to calculate and compare joint angles in swimming vs. passive mobilizations (PM), 2- to determine joint angular velocities during a swimming stride cycle
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