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INHALT WTM 03+04/2010
Themenheft: Bewegungsanalyse beim Tier / special issue: Motion Analysis in Animals
- Guest editorial
- Inhalt / contents
Guest editorial
Moving with the Times
Prof. Hilary M. Clayton, Michigan State University
The publication of this special issue of Wiener Tierärztliche Monatsschrift on Movement Science in Animals provides an opportunity to reflect on the tremendous progress in this field of research in recent years.
The diversity of the topics covered herein suggests that there will be plenty of projects to keep researchers in movement science busy for the foreseeable future!
In a comprehensive review of the history of equine locomotor research, René van WEEREN (2001) referred to the first and second Golden Ages, both of which followed closely on the heels of unprecedented technological advances. It was in the later part of the nineteenth century that developments in photographic techniques were embraced by Edweard Muybridge resulting in his landmark photographic sequences of humans and animals (MUYBRIDGE, 1979). The second Golden Age began when Swedish researchers led by Dr. Ingvar Fredricson applied the technique of high speed cinematography and applied it to equine gait analysis. The rest, as they say, is history, but even today photography in its many guises is still a mainstay of locomotor research in humans and animals as is apparent in the techniques used by the authors who have contributed to this special issue.
The paper by Hobbs et al. reviews kinematic and kinetic techniques in equine gait analysis as they have evolved in recent years and gives an insight into the people who played a key role in these advances. They highlight some significant publications of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries that have provided a secure foundation from which to proceed. This paper concludes with suggestions for future studies that will advance the science of equine gait analysis to the next level.
In recent history, computerization has changed almost every aspect of our daily lives, and has certainly broadened the frontiers of locomotor research. Many analytic tasks that used to be extremely tedious and time-consuming can now be performed automatically in a fraction of a second. In an article from the productive Spanish research group, Galisteo and colleagues describe and validate a novel technique for automatically detecting hoof contact and lift off based on a combination of linear and angular variables. This automated technique is validated by comparison with the results of subjective evaluations by a panel of observers. New techniques that save time and effort are always welcome!
Three of the manuscripts herein apply kinematic data in different ways, which serves to illustrate the broad applications of motion analysis. Janura et al. measured the effects of speed on the vertical and horizontal movements of the horse's back.The motivation for their study is related to the use of horses in hippotherapy, in which the rhythmic and repetitive multi-dimensional motion of the horse's back is used to treat movement dysfunctions in people. Gait analysis has much to offer in terms of optimizing the therapeutic benefits of hippotherapy. The study presented here moves towards this goal showing how changes in walking speed affect the motion of the horse's back which, in turn, affects the stimulus presented to the client.
An interesting inter-species comparison of human and canine locomotion during walking on a level surface and during stair ascent and descent is presented by Richards et al. These authors show distinct kinematic differences between people and dogs in the way they use the joints of the pelvic limb. Stair climbing is an activity of everyday living and information describing the mechanics of going up and down stairs has implications in the aetiology and treatment of many orthopaedic problems. In this case, the data will be applied in the development of rehabilitation programs.
Computer models offer solutions many of the problems faced by biomechanists. Two of the papers in this special issue are related to the development and application of different types of models. Nauwelaerts and Clayton are interested in developing a computerized model of the horse in motion, which requires the input of accurate kinematic data. Although spinal kinematics have been the focus of several research projects, the movements of the entire trunk have been largely ignored. This paper describes changes in shape of the horse's trunk during walking and the effect these morphological alterations on the location of the trunk center of mass. Due to its considerable mass, the trunk has a relatively large effect on the location of the total body center of mass and limb loading.
Finite element modeling is a numerical technique in which a computer model of a material or design is stressed and analyzed to determine how a structure will react to certain loading conditions. It is particularly useful for understanding the mechanics of areas that are generally inaccessible to study using the conventional tools of motion analysis. Lüpke and colleagues describe the use of a finite element model of the equine periodontal ligament to study its behavior during mastication. The model characterizes the pattern of tensile and compressive stresses in the ligament when it is loaded during chewing. This information has many applications in the field of dentistry which have been exploited by similar models in people.
Although small in number, the papers comprising this special issue represent a broad range of techniques and applications.They give the reader a sense of the scope of modern day motion analysis and an insight into the possibilities for the future.
References
MUYBRIDGE, E. (1979): Muybridge's complete human and animal locomotion. Volumes I, II and III. Dover Publications, New York.
WEEREN, P.R. van (2001): History of locomotor research. In: BACK, W., CLAYTON, H. (eds.): Equine locomotion. Saunders, London, p 1-35.
Übersicht / review
(PDF)S.J. Hobbs, D. Levine, J. Richards, H. Clayton, J.Tate, R.Walker
Motion analysis and its use in equine practice and research
Bewegungsanalyse und deren Nutzen in Pferdepraxis und -forschung
Originalarbeiten / original articles
(PDF)A.M. Galisteo , J.L. Garrido-Castro, F. Miró, C. Plaza, R. Medina-Carnicer
Assessment of a method to determine the stride phases in trotting horses from video sequences under field conditions
Evaluierung einer Methode zur Bestimmung der Schrittphasen (Stütz- und Hangbeinphasen) von trabenden Pferden anhand von Videosequenzen unter Feldbedingungen
S.Valentin, R. Davis, A.Wilson, T. Pfau
The effect of loading on the equine spine - a preliminary study
Die Auswirkungen von Belastungen auf die Wirbelsäule des Pferdes - eine Vorstudie
S. Nauwelaerts, H.M. Clayton
Changes in trunk shape and center of mass location in horses during walking
Veränderungen der Rumpfform und des Schwerpunktes bei Pferden im Schritt
M. Janura, T. Dvorakova, C. Peham, Z. Svoboda, M. Elfmark
The influence of walking speed on equine back motion in relation to hippotherapy
Der Einfluß der Schrittgeschwindigkeit auf die Rückenbewegung des Pferdes in Bezug auf die hippotherapeutische Anwendung
J. Richards, P. Holler, B. Bockstahler, B. Dale, M. Mueller, J. Burston, J. Selfe, D. Levine
A comparison of human and canine kinematics during level walking, stair ascent, and stair descent
Ein kinematischer Vergleich des Gehens von Mensch und Hund auf ebener Fläche und auf Treppen
M. Lüpke, M. Gardemin, S. Kopke, H. Seifert, C. Staszyk
Finite element analysis of the equine periodontal ligament under masticatory loading
Finite Elemente Analyse zur Berechnung von Kraftwirkungen im equinen Ligamentum periodontale während des Kauvorganges
