BMC Vet Res. 2014 Sep 28;10:241. doi: 10.1186/s12917-014-0241-4.
Inclined or slippery surfaces and various other types of obstacles are common demands in our environment. Dogs with impaired locomotion might have difficulties to manage rough terrain. Gait analyses using force plates or pressure plates, which are well established to characterize limb loads in human medicine as well as in animals, are mostly limited to level surfaces. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cross-slope walking in ten healthy Labrador Retrievers using a pressure plate walkway system. The dogs walked over the pressure plate on a level surface, with a lateral elevation angle of 10° (CS1) or 15° (CS2) until five valid trials were achieved. Three measurements were obtained at weekly intervals. Peak vertical force (PFz), vertical impulse (IFz), step length, and velocity were determined.
Compared to level walking (LW), cross-slope walking was associated with a significant decrease in GRF of the up-slope (US) hindlimb, which was compensated for by the down-slope (DS) forelimb. The other diagonal limb pair showed less pronounced effects during CS1, but in CS2 more weight was shifted onto the DS hindlimb during the first two measurements, thus reducing weight on the US forelimb (for IFz). The effect diminished from trial to trial, with GRF values approaching LW standards finally. The IFz was a more sensitive measure than the PFz. The step length of the DS forelimb was significantly decreased in both cross-slope conditions, while the step length of the US forelimb only decreased during CS2.
The dogs adapted their gait pattern and step length to compensate for the discrepancy in apparent leg length caused by the cross-slope. The results suggest that cross-slope walking requires functional musculoskeletal adaptations that may be difficult for animals with impaired locomotion. Further, this knowledge might be of clinical impact for early diagnosis of neurological disorders, mild lameness and proprioceptive deficits.
倾斜或光滑的表面和各种其他类型的障碍物是我们环境中的常见要求。运动机能受损的狗在处理粗糙地形时可能会有困难。使用压力板或压力平板进行步态分析已被广泛应用于人类医学和动物医学，以描述肢体负荷，这些分析大多仅限于水平表面。因此，本研究的目的是使用压力板步道系统研究 10 只健康的拉布拉多猎犬在横坡行走时的影响。狗在水平表面上以 10°（CS1）或 15°（CS2）的横向升高角在压力板上行走，直到获得五个有效的试验为止。每星期测量三次。确定峰值垂直力（PFz）、垂直冲量（IFz）、步长和速度。
与水平行走（LW）相比，横坡行走与上坡（US）后肢的 GRF 显著降低相关，下坡（DS）前肢对此进行了补偿。在 CS1 期间，对角线的另一条肢体对影响较小，但在 CS2 中，前两条测量中更多的重量转移到 DS 后肢，从而减少了 US 前肢的重量（对于 IFz）。这种影响从试验到试验逐渐减弱，最终 GRF 值接近 LW 标准。IFz 是比 PFz 更敏感的测量方法。在两种横坡条件下，DS 前肢的步长均明显缩短，而 US 前肢的步长仅在 CS2 期间缩短。
狗通过调整步态模式和步长来补偿由于横坡引起的表观腿长差异。结果表明，横坡行走需要功能性的肌肉骨骼适应，对于运动机能受损的动物来说可能很困难。此外，这些知识可能对早期诊断神经障碍、轻度跛行和本体感觉缺陷具有临床意义。
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