Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers
The influence of soft tissue structures, including ligaments spanning one or more intervertebral junctions and the nuchal ligament, on motion of the equine cervical joints remains unclear. The present study addressed this using four post-mortem horse specimens extending from head to withers with all...
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MDPI AG
2025-08-01
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| author | Katharina Bosch Rebeka R. Zsoldos Astrid Hartig Theresia Licka |
| author_facet | Katharina Bosch Rebeka R. Zsoldos Astrid Hartig Theresia Licka |
| author_sort | Katharina Bosch |
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| description | The influence of soft tissue structures, including ligaments spanning one or more intervertebral junctions and the nuchal ligament, on motion of the equine cervical joints remains unclear. The present study addressed this using four post-mortem horse specimens extending from head to withers with all ligaments intact. Three-dimensional kinematics was obtained from markers on the head and bone-anchored markers on each cervical and the first thoracic vertebra during rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension of the whole head, and neck segment. Yaw, pitch, and roll angles in 8 cervical joints (total 32) were calculated. Flexion and extension were expressed mainly as pitch in 27 and 22 joints, respectively. Rotation appeared as predominantly roll in 13 joints, whereas lateral bending was represented as predominantly yaw in 1 and as roll or pitch in all other joints. Significant correlations between yaw, pitch, and roll were observed at individual cervical joints in 97% of all measurements, with the atlanto-occipital joint showing complete (100%) correlation. Most non-significant correlations occurred at the C5–C6 joint, while C6–C7 exhibited significantly lower correlation coefficients compared to other levels. The overall movement of the head and neck is not replicated at individual cervical joint levels and should be considered when evaluating equine necks in vivo. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b1eb4196846f4f2a81b37f9609b28200 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b1eb4196846f4f2a81b37f9609b282002025-08-20T04:00:49ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-08-011515225910.3390/ani15152259Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored MarkersKatharina Bosch0Rebeka R. Zsoldos1Astrid Hartig2Theresia Licka3Clinical Department for Small Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 23422 Alnarp, SwedenClinical Department for Small Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaClinical Department for Small Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaThe influence of soft tissue structures, including ligaments spanning one or more intervertebral junctions and the nuchal ligament, on motion of the equine cervical joints remains unclear. The present study addressed this using four post-mortem horse specimens extending from head to withers with all ligaments intact. Three-dimensional kinematics was obtained from markers on the head and bone-anchored markers on each cervical and the first thoracic vertebra during rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension of the whole head, and neck segment. Yaw, pitch, and roll angles in 8 cervical joints (total 32) were calculated. Flexion and extension were expressed mainly as pitch in 27 and 22 joints, respectively. Rotation appeared as predominantly roll in 13 joints, whereas lateral bending was represented as predominantly yaw in 1 and as roll or pitch in all other joints. Significant correlations between yaw, pitch, and roll were observed at individual cervical joints in 97% of all measurements, with the atlanto-occipital joint showing complete (100%) correlation. Most non-significant correlations occurred at the C5–C6 joint, while C6–C7 exhibited significantly lower correlation coefficients compared to other levels. The overall movement of the head and neck is not replicated at individual cervical joint levels and should be considered when evaluating equine necks in vivo.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2259equinecervicalspinekinematicsredundancyvertebral motion |
| spellingShingle | Katharina Bosch Rebeka R. Zsoldos Astrid Hartig Theresia Licka Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers Animals equine cervical spine kinematics redundancy vertebral motion |
| title | Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers |
| title_full | Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers |
| title_fullStr | Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers |
| title_short | Motion Coupling at the Cervical Vertebral Joints in the Horse—An Ex Vivo Study Using Bone-Anchored Markers |
| title_sort | motion coupling at the cervical vertebral joints in the horse an ex vivo study using bone anchored markers |
| topic | equine cervical spine kinematics redundancy vertebral motion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2259 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katharinabosch motioncouplingatthecervicalvertebraljointsinthehorseanexvivostudyusingboneanchoredmarkers AT rebekarzsoldos motioncouplingatthecervicalvertebraljointsinthehorseanexvivostudyusingboneanchoredmarkers AT astridhartig motioncouplingatthecervicalvertebraljointsinthehorseanexvivostudyusingboneanchoredmarkers AT theresialicka motioncouplingatthecervicalvertebraljointsinthehorseanexvivostudyusingboneanchoredmarkers |