Longitudinal measures of lameness in an induced model of equine post-traumatic osteoarthritis

Zobrist, Chelsea Nicole

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130006 Copy

Description

Title

Longitudinal measures of lameness in an induced model of equine post-traumatic osteoarthritis

Author(s)

Zobrist, Chelsea Nicole

Issue Date

2025-06-16

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

McCoy, Annette

Committee Member(s)

• Gutierrez, Santiago
• Gray, Sarah
• Wilkins, Pamela

Department of Study

Vet Clinical Medicine

Discipline

VMS-Veterinary Clinical Medcne

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

arthritis, lameness locator, force plate, fetlock, metacarpophalangeal

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that clinically manifests as lameness or poor performance in a wide range of horses. Osteoarthritis is often heterogenous in molecular and clinical manifestation. Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) develops due to an initial traumatic insult, but clinical signs occur a variable length of time after injury and can have a wide range of severity. There is limited understanding of the onset and early progression of osteoarthritis, making it challenging to accurately identify the disease in its initial stages. It was our goal to provide more knowledge on the clinical manifestation of early disease via lameness assessment in a controlled experimental study utilizing an osteochondral fragment model to induce PTOA. Flexion angle of the affected joint space, joint circumference, and joint effusion are all static measurements of joint assessment that can be obtained to provide information on joint health and mobility. Dynamic methods for evaluating joint disease or lameness include subjective lameness assessment, inertial sensor (e.g., Lameness Locator system) analysis, and force plate analysis. There have been no studies of agreement between subjective evaluation, Lameness Locator, and force plate analysis in a longitudinal study exceeding the 71-day study outlined by Donnell et al. We hypothesized that injured limbs with MCPJ osteochondral fragmentation would show increased lameness over time compared to sham-operated limbs, and that different lameness modalities used to assess lameness would be weakly correlated at each time point over the study but that all three modalities would show worsening of lameness over time. Eight adult horses aged 3-10 years of age were enrolled in the experimental protocol. At week 0, the horses underwent arthroscopic creation of an osteochondral fragment in one metacarpophalangeal joint (injured limb) while the other limb was used as a sham-operated control. Subsequent arthroscopic procedures were performed at 16 and 32 weeks to evaluate the joint spaces and ultimately remove the osteochondral fragment from the injured limb. The horses were exercised on a treadmill for five days per week for the duration of the study (32 weeks). Each MCPJ was assessed once weekly for joint effusion, circumference of the joint, and flexion angle (excluding weeks of stall rest). Subjective lameness evaluations were performed weekly and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) lameness grading scale was used to grade the lameness. Evaluations with a body-mounted inertial sensor system (Lameness Locator) and stationary force plate analysis were performed every 4 weeks during the experimental protocol to collect objective kinematic and kinetic data. Joint assessment revealed that MCPJ flexion angles, joint circumference, and joint effusion changed in the injured and sham-operated limbs over the course of the study with small effect size except for joint effusion of the injured limb which changed with moderate effect size. The subjective lameness evaluation, Lameness Locator, and force plate analysis showed no statistically significant change in lameness over time. Agreement between all three modalities was poor, and agreement between the Lameness Locator and force plate analysis was highest when comparing pairs of modalities.

Graduation Semester

2025-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130006

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2024 Chelsea Nicole Zobrist

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