Equine lameness detection and monitoring during diagnostic anaesthesia with an instrumented hoof boot.
Authors: Keller Jasmin, Hassenstein Max J, Jung Klaus, Geburek Florian
Journal: Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
Summary
# Editorial Summary Objective lameness assessment using ground reaction forces represents the gold standard in equine diagnostics, yet practical measurement at hoof level has remained confined to laboratory settings until now. Keller and colleagues evaluated whether instrumented hoof boots (IHBs) could reliably detect and monitor weightbearing lameness in 26 horses (15 with forelimb, 17 with hindlimb lameness) undergoing diagnostic anaesthesia, collecting force data simultaneously with inertial sensors before and after perineural blocks until lameness resolution. Before anaesthesia, lame limbs showed significantly reduced peak vertical pressure (PVP) and impulse (AUC) compared to contralateral limbs (p<0.001), with a baseline asymmetry of 3.54% and 6.47% respectively; following successful anaesthesia, these differences collapsed to 0.90% and 2.04% (p=0.015 and p=0.001), demonstrating objective symmetrisation of loading patterns. Peak loading rate proved sensitive to anaesthetic effects across both timepoints (p=0.006 and p=0.024), though other temporal and force parameters showed no significant changes. For practitioners, the IHB offers a genuinely portable method to quantify lameness severity and objectively confirm diagnostic block efficacy—particularly valuable when clinical improvement is subtle or when documenting baseline asymmetry before therapeutic intervention. Limitations include the small, mixed-diagnosis cohort and uncontrolled speed variables, suggesting results require validation across larger, homogeneous populations before widespread clinical adoption, though the technology's capacity to bridge the gap between laboratory standards and field practice is promising.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Instrumented hoof boots provide objective, quantifiable data on load distribution between limbs that correlates with clinical lameness diagnosis and can track response to nerve blocks
- •This technology enables real-time monitoring during diagnostic procedures, potentially reducing time to diagnosis and improving confidence in locating pain sources
- •Ground reaction force measurements at the hoof level are now clinically feasible with wearable devices, moving beyond experimental limitations to practical applications in lameness workups
Key Findings
- •Instrumented hoof boots successfully detected significant differences in peak vertical pressure (PVP) and impulse (AUC) between lame and contralateral limbs before diagnostic anaesthesia (p<0.001 for both)
- •After positive diagnostic anaesthesia, PVP and AUC differences between limbs became non-significant (p=0.074 and p=0.196), indicating resolution of lameness asymmetry
- •Mean PVP difference between lame and contralateral limbs decreased from 3.54% at baseline to 0.90% after anaesthesia, and AUC difference decreased from 6.47% to 2.04%
- •Peak loading rate (PLR) differed significantly both before and after anaesthesia (p=0.006 and p=0.024), suggesting it may be a more stable parameter for lameness assessment