Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gait changes in Dobermans with neck spinal disease after treatment
By Foss, Kari D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Kinetic and kinematic follow-up gait analysis in Doberman Pinschers with cervical spondylomyelopathy treated medically and surgically.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Eight Doberman Pinschers with cervical spondylomyelopathy (a spinal condition) were studied to see how their movement changed after treatment. Five dogs received medical management, while three underwent surgery. After about eight weeks, the dogs showed improvements in their gait, such as less side-to-side movement of the spine and better leg flexion. However, the study found that while the gait analysis showed changes, it did not directly correlate with the dogs' overall recovery.
People also search for: Doberman Pinscher cervical spondylomyelopathy treatment · dog spinal condition surgery · improving dog gait after treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The efficacy of treatment of dogs with cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM) is commonly based on the owner's and clinician's perception of the gait, which is highly subjective and suffers from observer bias. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To compare selected kinetic and kinematic parameters before and after treatments and to correlate the findings of gait analysis to clinical outcome. ANIMALS: Eight Doberman Pinschers with CSM confirmed by magnetic resonsance imaging. METHODS: Patients were prospectively studied and treated with either medical management (n = 5) or surgery (n = 3). Force plate analysis and 3-D kinematic motion capture were performed at initial presentation and approximately 8 weeks later. Force plate parameters evaluated included peak vertical force (PVF). Kinematic parameters measured included number of pelvic limb strides, stifle flexion and extension, maximum and minimum thoracic limb distance, truncal sway, and thoracic limb stride duration. RESULTS: Kinematic analysis showed that deviation of the spine to the right (truncal sway) was significantly smaller (P < .001) and the degree of right stifle flexion was significantly larger (P = .029) after treatment. Force plate analysis indicated that PVF was significantly different after treatment (P = .049) and the difference of the PVF also was significantly larger (P = .027). However, no correlation was found with either method of gait analysis and clinical recovery. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Kinetic and kinematic gait analysis were able to detect differences in dogs with CSM before and after treatment. A correlation of gait analysis to clinical improvement could not be determined.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29572944/