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Auer U, Kelemen Z, Vogl C, von Ritgen S, Haddad R, Torres Borda L, Gabmaier C, Breteler J, Jenner F. Development, refinement, and validation of an equine musculoskeletal pain scale. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2024; 4:1292299. [PMID: 38312997 PMCID: PMC10837853 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1292299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Musculoskeletal disease is a common cause of chronic pain that is often overlooked and inadequately treated, impacting the quality of life of humans and horses alike. Lameness due to musculoskeletal pain is prevalent in horses, but the perception of pain by owners is low compared with veterinary diagnosis. Therefore, this study aims to establish and validate a pain scale for chronic equine orthopaedic pain that is user-friendly for horse owners and veterinarians to facilitate the identification and monitoring of pain in horses. The newly developed musculoskeletal pain scale (MPS) was applied to 154 horses (mean age 20 ± 6.4 years SD) housed at an equine sanctuary, of which 128 (83%) suffered from chronic orthopaedic disease. To complete the MPS, the horses were observed and videotaped from a distance while at rest in their box or enclosure. In addition, they received a complete clinical and orthopaedic exam. The need for veterinary intervention to address pain (assessed and executed by the sanctuary independent from this study) was used as a longitudinal health outcome to determine the MPS's predictive validity. To determine the interrater agreement, the MPS was scored for a randomly selected subset of 30 horses by six additional blinded raters, three equine veterinary practitioners, and three experienced equestrians. An iterative process was used to refine the tool based on improvements in the MPS's correlation with lameness evaluated at the walk and trot, predictive validity for longitudinal health outcomes, and interrater agreement. The intraclass correlation improved from 0.77 of the original MPS to 0.88 of the refined version (95% confidence interval: 0.8-0.94). The refined MPS correlated significantly with lameness at the walk (r = 0.44, p = 0.001) and trot (r = 0.5, p < 0.0001). The refined MPS significantly differed between horses that needed veterinary intervention (mean MPS = 8.6) and those that did not (mean MPS = 5.0, p = 0.0007). In summary, the MPS showed good interrater repeatability between expert and lay scorers, significant correlation with lameness at the walk and trot, and good predictive validity for longitudinal health outcomes, confirming its ability to identify horses with orthopaedic health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Auer
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care Medicine Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zsofia Kelemen
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University Equine Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Vogl
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie von Ritgen
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care Medicine Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rabea Haddad
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University Equine Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Torres Borda
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University Equine Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Gabmaier
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care Medicine Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - John Breteler
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University Equine Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florien Jenner
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University Equine Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Sharp Y, Tabor G. An Investigation into the Effects of Changing Dorso-Plantar Hoof Balance on Equine Hind Limb Posture. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:3275. [PMID: 36496795 PMCID: PMC9736389 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Links between poor hind hoof balance, pathologies in the hind limb and associated altered posture have been suggested but not quantified. The hoof is proposed as a neuro-sensory organ responsible for informing equine stance with implications for musculoskeletal health in the hind limb and trunk of the horse. This study aims to quantify equine limb posture and its relationship with hoof balance. Twelve horses presenting with negative plantar angles were photographed and limb posture documented before and after the creation of positive plantar angles and improved three-dimensional proportions around the centre of rotation of the distal-interphalangeal joint, using farriery prosthetics. The results showed that horses presenting with negative plantar angles had canted-in postures and that farriery intervention had a significant effect on hind limb orientation in seven of these horses. There was a significant difference in metatarsal angle pre and post intervention with the mean for pre intervention being 81.3° ± 5.1 and post intervention being 88.0° ± 3.8 in the right hind and 74.4° ± 3.7 and 87.1° ± 2.9 in the left hind. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that the hoof balance informs equine stance and can play a role in affecting limb posture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogi Sharp
- Lion House, Lion Hill, Stone Cross, Pevensey BN245EG, UK
| | - Gillian Tabor
- Equestrian Performance Research Centre, Hartpury University, Gloucestershire GL193BE, UK
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