Description
Introduction: As part of a clinical examination, croup reflexes (CR) can be used to assess spinal range of motion (ROM), but there is little evidence on how this relates to gait. Objective: To determine if there is a relationship between CR ROM and movement symmetry parameters.Study design: Experimental. Methods: Reflective skin markers (20mm) were placed on the midline of twenty riding horses at thoracic (T) T6, T10, T13, T18, lumbar (L) L3, L5 vertebrae, and tubera sacrale (TS). With the horse stood square, an ACPAT physiotherapist induced a CR by applying manual bilateral pressure in a dorsal-ventral direction between the m. biceps femoris and m. semitendinosus muscles. Nine optical motion cameras (240Hz) quantified flexion-extension (FE) ROM of T10, T15, L3 and L5 using previously published methods. Inertial-measuring-units were placed at the poll, T6, TS and left/right tubera coxae. Horses were trotted in-hand four times through a straight-line experimental track (26m). Absolute withers and pelvic MinDiff (weight-bearing), MaxDiff (push-off), Updiff asymmetry and Hip Hike Difference (HHD) were quantified. Pearson’s correlations compared croup FE ROM and absolute symmetry parameters with a significance set at P<0.05.
Results: Croup FE ROM at T10 (9.5±2.9°), T15 (5.0±1.9°) and L5 (11.6±3.6°) were negatively correlated with pelvic MinDiff (4.7±3.7mm; T10: r= -5.9, P=0.07; T15: r =-0.49, P=0.03; L5: r=-0.508, P=0.02 respectively), but not significantly at L3 (P=0.08). Pelvic UpDiff (8.0±8.2mm) and HHD (10.1±8.0mm) were negatively correlated with croup FE ROM at T10 (r= -0.486, -0.454, P=0.03, 0.04 respectively), L3 (r=-0.441, 0.509, P=0.05, 0.02 respectively) and L5 (r=-0.510,0.515, p=0.02, 0.02 respectively). Withers MinDiff (5.1±4.2mm), and withers (5.3±4.2mm) and pelvic MaxDiff (6.7±5.7mm) were not correlated with croup FE ROM at any location (P>0.05). Limitations: Only four spinal angles were quantified.
Conclusion: Reduced FE-ROM of the thoracic and/or lumbar spine during a CR may be associated with pelvic asymmetry at trot.
| Period | 12 Sept 2024 |
|---|---|
| Event title | British Equine Veterinary Congress 2024 |
| Event type | Conference |