Kinematic patterns for hindlimb obstacle avoidance during sheep locomotion

ABSTRACT

Functional recovery following general nerve reconstruction is often associated with poor results. Comparing to rat and mice experimental studies, there are much fewer investigations on nerve regeneration and repair in the sheep, and there are no studies on this subject using gait analysis in the sheep model as an assessment tool. Additionally, this is the first study evaluating obstacle negotiation and the compensatory strategies that take place at each joint in response to the obstacle during locomotion in the sheep model. This study aims to get kinematic data to serve as a template for an objective assessment of the ankle joint motion in future studies of common peroneal nerve (CP) injury and repair in the ovine model. Our results show that a moderately high obstacle set to 10% of the sheep’s hindlimb length was associated to several spatial and temporal strategies in order to increase hoof height during obstacle negotiating. Sheep efficiently cleared an obstacle by increasing knee, ankle and metatarsophalangeal flexion during swing, whereas the hip joint is not affected. This study establishes the bounds of normal motion in the neurologically intact hindlimb when approached and cleared an obstacle and provides baseline data for further studies of peripheral nerve research in the ovine model.

KEYWORDS:

• Sheep
• gait analysis
• kinematics
• locomotion
• obstacle avoidance
• peripheral nerve injury

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Diana Costa

Diana Costa is currently working as a master student at University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. Her current research area is gait analysis in the sheep model for studying peripheral nerve regeneration following nerve injury.

Camila Cardoso Diogo

Camila Cardoso Diogo, DVM, is currently working as a PhD student at University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. Her current research area is functional evaluation in experimental models of central and peripheral nervous system lesions.

Luís Maltez da Costa

Luís Maltez da Costa, DVM, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. The author’s research interest includes neurosurgical outcomes in experimental models.

José Eduardo Pereira

José Eduardo Pereira, DVM, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. The author’s research interest includes neurosurgical outcomes in experimental models.

Vítor Filipe

Vítor Filipe, ENG, PhD, is an associated professor in the Department of Engineering, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. The author’s research interest includes video analysis in animal models of central and peripheral nervous system lesions.

Pedro Alexandre Couto

Pedro Alexandre Couto, ENG, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. The author’s research interest includes video analysis in animal models of central and peripheral nervous system lesions.

Stefano Geuna

Stefano Geuna, MD, is a professor in the Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences and a research group leader in the Neuroscience Institute “Cavalieri Ottolenghi”, University of Turin, Italy. Geuna's research interest includes peripheral nerve repair and regeneration.

Paulo A. Armada-Da-Silva

Paulo Armada-da-Silva, PT, PhD is an assistant professor at the Department of Sports and Health from the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon and a researcher in the Neuromechanics of Human Movement research group. His research interests include movement rehabilitation after peripheral or central nervous system injury and a broad interest in central and peripheral physiological determinants of human motor and physical performance.

Ana Colette Maurício

Ana Colette Maurício, DVM, PhD, is an associated professor with Habilitation at ICBAS-UP, Head of the Veterinary Clinics Department, and Director of the Veterinary Sciences Doctoral Program. She is the Scientific Coordinator of the Regenerative Medicine and Experimental Surgery research unit from CECA-ICETA. She is one of the founding shareholders of Biosckin, Molecular and Cell Therapies, S.A., a Health Biotechnology Company.

Artur S.P. Varejão

Artur Varejão, DVM, PhD, is a full professor in the Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. His research interests are peripheral nerve injury and repair, and animal gait analysis.