Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to spot one leg lameness from cruciate ligament injury in dogs
By Triviño, A et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2024·Lamond Veterinary Clinic, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Objective comparison of a sit to stand test to the walk test for the identification of unilateral lameness caused by cranial cruciate ligament disease in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with knee problems caused by a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) underwent two tests to see which could better identify lameness. The sit to stand test was quicker to perform, but it missed some dogs that were actually lame, while the walk test was more accurate. The walk test was able to correctly identify all the lame dogs, making it the better option for diagnosing this issue. If your dog is limping, a thorough examination and possibly a walk test may be necessary to determine the cause.
People also search for: dog limping diagnosis · cranial cruciate ligament tear in dogs · sit to stand test for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a sit to stand test with the walk test for the identification of unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peak vertical force and vertical impulse were measured on a pressure-sensitive walkway, during a sit to stand test and walk test, and in 10 dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture and 18 non-lame dogs. Data collected were used to calculate symmetry indices (SI) of ipsilateral and contralateral hindlimbs (HL), diagonal limb pairs (DLP) and ipsilateral limb pairs (ILP). RESULTS: The symmetry indices of peak vertical force of HL during the walk test and sit to stand test were 100% and 90% sensitive for discriminating lame and non-lame dogs respectively. The symmetry indices of vertical impulse of HLs during the walk test and sit to stand test were 100% and 50% sensitive for discriminating lame and non-lame dogs respectively. Analysis of ipsilateral and diagonal limb pairs did not improve the discrimination in either test. The time taken to collect data from the sit to stand test data was shorter than for the walk test. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Whilst the sit to stand test required a shorter time for collection of data than the walk test, it did not accurately identify all dogs with lameness associated with CCLR, and thus has relatively limited clinical utility in its tested form.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37876317/