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2

Objective Gait Analysis

Bryan T. Torres

Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

2.1 Introduction

The use of objective gait analysis techniques to evaluate veterinary patients has increased recently.
In the past few years, gait analysis equipment has become more affordable and has begun to move
from a research and specialty setting into everyday practice. Despite this, there remains little to no
attention given to objective gait analysis techniques and equipment during veterinary school edu-
cation. Because of this, many veterinarians begin performing gait analysis with little understand-
ing of the fundamentals behind these techniques. Unfortunately, this can result in poor data
collection and/or erroneous interpretation of results – negatively impacting patient care. Therefore,
it is critical that veterinarians interested in these techniques are familiar with the basics of gait
analysis.
In general, objective gait analysis can be divided into two main categories: (i) kinetics and
(ii) kinematics. Kinetic gait analysis focuses on the forces generated during movement while
kinematic gait analysis focuses on motion that occurs during ambulation without concern for
forces.

2.2 Kinetic Analysis

Kinetic gait analysis evaluates the forces produced when an animal’s foot is in contact with the
ground. Therefore, the stance phase is the only portion of the full gait cycle where kinetic informa-
tion is recorded. In many musculoskeletal or neurologic conditions, patients may have a lameness
which results in reduced forces in the affected limb (e.g. reduced weight‐bearing) making this a
key method of detecting pathology as well as monitoring a response to therapy.
There are two major systems used in veterinary medicine to record kinetic information: (i) force
plates (FPs) (or platforms) and (ii) pressure‐sensitive walkways (PSWs). There are important differ-
ences between these two systems. It is important that clinicians understand the benefits as well as
the limitations of each system to maximize their clinical use.

Canine Lameness, First Edition. Edited by Felix Michael Duerr.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Companion website: www.wiley.com/go/duerr/lameness