• Maitane Sanchez-Bustinduy, Magda Alves de Medeiros, Heidi Radke, Sorrel Langley-Hobbs, Trevelyan McKinley, and Nick Jeffery.
• Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
• Vet Surg. 2010 Jun 1;39(4):523-30.

ObjectiveTo (1) discover kinematic variables that differ between dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) and control dogs and (2) to identify suitable outcome variables for longitudinal studies on the effects of surgical interventions for CCLR in dogs.Study DesignIn vivo case-control comparison.AnimalsDogs with unilateral CCLR (n=16), and no other detectable neurologic or orthopedic disease and 10 dogs without CCLR, neurologic, or orthopedic disease.MethodsKinematic data was collected from dogs as they walked at constant speed on a treadmill, using an infrared camera system and adhesive reflective markers applied to the pelvic limbs. Data on 5 selected variables was extracted and comparisons made between paired pelvic limbs in both CCLR and control dogs and between control and CCLR dogs.ResultsComparisons in CCLR dogs revealed significant differences between affected and unaffected limbs for many examined variables; the largest differences were in paw velocity and stifle angular velocity. There were highly significant differences between CCLR and control dogs when examining paired limb ratios for 4 of the variables, the largest differences were in stride length and paw velocity.ConclusionsKinematic analysis provides straightforward and objective methods for defining the lameness associated with CCLR in dogs. Paw velocity and stride length were most notably reliable and not susceptible to systematic alterations in stifle joint dynamics that might be associated with specific surgical procedures.Clinical RelevanceThis study identifies several variables that can provide the objective measurements essential to evaluate the efficacy of surgical interventions for CCLR in dogs.

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