Summary
Computer aided kinematic and synchronized force plate gait analysis were used to characterize
joint movement in 14 large mixed breed dogs at a trot. A curvilinear relationship
of joint angle to time was described, for three forelimb and three hindlimb joints.
Two peaks of maximum extension, one preceding the onset and at the end of stance phase
were observed for the femorotibial, tarsus and cubital joints. The carpus, scapulohumeral
and coxofemoral joint exhibited one peak of maximum extension. The variance in joint
angle measurement was calculated for repeated trials for a given dog and for differences
between dogs using a 2-factor repeated measures ANOVA. The mean variance for all joints
except the carpal joint for trial repetition was 12.6 (degrees)2 (range, 2.6-23.9) and for differences between dogs 6.2 (degrees)2 (range, 1.0-11.3). The carpal joint exhibited greater variation with a mean variance,
attributable to trial repetition, of 42.5 (degrees)2 (range, 39.4-44.3) and a variance between dogs of 52.4 (degrees)2 (range, 18.5-89.4).
The results obtained would suggest that computer assisted kinematics is an accurate
means of assessing joint angle movement in large mixed breed dogs with a low level
of variance attributable to trial repetition and to differences between dogs, with
the exception of the carpal joint. The sample of mixed breed dogs in this study is
similar to dogs that would be seen in a clinical sample population. Our results suggest
that computer assisted kinematics could be an important tool in providing objective
information on gait, in clinical and research studies, using mixed breed dogs.
This study describes the trot in 14 large mixed breed dogs using computer aided kinematic
and force plate gait analysis techniques. Variances in fore and hindlimb joint angle
measurements were deter-mined, for a given dog, by repeated trials and for differences
between dogs. The measured variances were low in all joints except the corpus, despite
diverse dog conformation in the study.
Keywords
Mixed breed - trot - kinematic gait analysis - variance - dynamic joint angles
