Kinetic and Kinematic Analysis of Dogs Suffering from Hip Osteoarthritis and Healthy Dogs Across Different Physical...

The purpose of this study was to investigate mobility performance in dogs suffering from hip osteoarthritis secondary to hip dysplasia using kinesiology.

Twenty dogs with a radiographical diagnosis of bilateral hip dysplasia and hip osteoarthritis and 20 healthy dogs were submitted to kinetic and kinematic analysis while climbing upstairs, walking down a slope, sitting down, standing up, and walking. Dogs were also scored by two blind examiners using a visual analog scale (VAS).

Dysplastic dogs had lower peak vertical force (4% of body weight on average), increased symmetry index (12.6% difference on average) and reduced maximum hip joint extension angle and range of motion (ROM) in all tests. Mean hip joint range of motion difference was 11, 20, 25.4 and 25.2 degrees (walking, climbing upstairs, walking down a slope, sitting down and standing up exercise respectively). The VAS scores varied widely between examiners; still, healthy and dysplastic dog mobility differed across all physical test tasks.

Gait changes were observed in all physical tasks performed by dysplastic dogs with hip osteoarthritis, particularly in those requiring higher levels of effort. Comprehensive, quantitative assessment of dogs suffering from hip osteoarthritis across a range of physical activities is recommended.