Science Making Strides in Equine Lameness Evaluation: The Lameness Locator® manufactured by Equinosis, LLC, is an aid to the practicing equine veterinarian for evaluating lameness in horses. The system, developed at the University of Missouri’s Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Engineering, objectively detects and quantifies body movement asymmetry in a horse using small, body-mounted wireless inertial sensors and custom written software on a hand-held tablet PC.
Kevin Keegan, DVM, MS, DACVS, a professor of equine surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University Missouri, has been tracking horse movement related to equine lameness for years. Because equine lameness may begin subtly and can range from a simple mild problem affecting a single limb to a more complicated one affecting multiple limbs, veterinarians and horse owners know that early detection is the key to successful outcomes. The problem, Keegan says, is that detection still relies on simple visual observation with the naked eye.
"There are two reasons why the Lameness Locator® is better than the naked eye," Keegan said. "It samples motion at a higher frequency (200 x/second), beyond the capability of the human eye (10-20 x/second); and it removes the bias that frequently accompanies subjective evaluation."
The Lameness Locator® does not replace the expert evaluation techniques used by the equine practitioner. It is an adjunctive diagnostic, to assist the veterinarian in identifying lameness in one or more limbs, provide an objective measure of the severity of lameness, and the type of lameness (impact, mid-stance or push off). Quantified results are reported immediately in a single page, user friendly analysis for the veterinarian. Objective measures of body movement asymmetry allow the practitioner to not only recognize subtle lameness or more complicated multiple limb lameness, but also provide a more effective means of evaluating the effects of diagnostic analgesia and therapeutic responses.
Lameness Locator® systems are currently in use in private practices and veterinary teaching hospitals around the country in over 13 states including CA, FL, MD, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, and VA. The technology is utilized in both clinical and research settings in 8 North American veterinary colleges and universities and 6 in Europe, Canada, and South America.
ABOUT EQUINOSIS™
Founded in 2007, Equinosis'™mission is to assist and equip the equine practitioner by developing and providing wireless sensor solutions for collection of biological data useful in the diagnosis of equine disease. Equinosis™ technology is only available to licensed veterinarians. For more information on Lameness Locator® by Equinosis™, please visit www.equinosis.com.