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Vertical Displacement of the E quine Pelvis When Trotting on an Aqua Treadmill
Author(s) -
York J,
Walker A
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/evj.12267_168
Subject(s) - hydrotherapy , displacement (psychology) , treadmill , pelvis , physical medicine and rehabilitation , warmblood , motion capture , physical therapy , rehabilitation , orthodontics , medicine , anatomy , veterinary medicine , psychology , geology , horse , computer science , motion (physics) , artificial intelligence , alternative medicine , pathology , psychotherapist , paleontology
Introduction Hydrotherapy is increasingly applied within the equine industry for rehabilitation and therapy. Substantial anecdotal evidence exists suggesting the benefits of its application but while there is extensive literature on the use of aqua‐treadmills in humans and canines there is comparatively little in equines. Therefore, limited research exists supporting the role of the aqua‐treadmill in current therapy practices. This study aimed to investigate the effect of water depth on pelvic movement during aqua‐treadmill exercise. Methods Eight horses were trotted on an aqua‐treadmill at four water depths specifically measured to individual horses ( P3 , fetlock, MC3 , carpus). Pelvic displacement was recorded using an optical motion capture system to collect coordinates from markers placed on the tuber sacrale, tuber coxae, withers and lumbar spine. Data were processed using custom written scripts ( Matlab ®) and ANOVA was performed. Results All subjects demonstrated a significant increase in vertical displacement of the pelvis as water depth increased from P3 to carpus while displacement symmetry was not significantly altered with a change in water depth. Conclusions The common practice of increasing water depth to intensify the physical demands of the exercise while maintaining the desired movement symmetry is supported. Having knowledge of how a horse moves on an aqua‐treadmill is vital for tailoring specific therapy in order to most successfully rehabilitate the horse from injury. Investigation of the effects of increasing water depth on asymmetric horses should be carried out to further support its application as a tool for rehabilitation. Ethical Animal Research E thical approval was obtained from the E thics R eview C ommittee at M oulton C ollege. Owner consent was granted for all subjects and all horses were handled in compliance with B ritish H orse Society standards throughout the trials. Sources of funding: T homas H arrison T rust at M oulton C ollege. Competing interests: none.