ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Imaging
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1610788
The effect of heel elevation on the stiffness gradient index of the digital flexor tendons in the equine forelimb of clinically normal horses
Provisionally accepted
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Word count: 341 Objective: To evaluate the effect of heel elevation on in vivo measurement of stiffness gradients by means of acoustoelastography in the digital flexor tendons of clinically normal horses.Animals: 15 clinically normal horses.Procedures: For each horse, stiffness gradient index (SGI) for superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFT) and deep digital flexor tendons (DDFT) were evaluated in both forelimbs at 0, 4 and 8 degrees of heel elevation. Acoustoelastography (AEG) was used for data acquisition at three sites, approximately 6, 12, and 18 cm distal to the accessory carpal bone in the metacarpal region. Lifting the contralateral limb during image acquisition resulted in the application of load and the subsequent SDFT and DDFT deformation required. The effects of loaded versus unloaded digital flexor tendons and right-to-left limb symmetry on SGI at three regions in the metacarpal region were further evaluated. Changes in angulation of the metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints in conjunction with the palmar angle (PA) of the distal phalanx and toe angle (TA) were measured radiographically at 0, 4 and 8 degrees of heel elevation to approximate trends in digital angles with applied heel elevation.Results: SGI values for SDFTs and DDFTs differed significantly in loaded versus unloaded tendons and at different locations of the metacarpus. Incremental heel elevation had the greatest and most consistent effect on the SGI in the mid-metacarpal region in both flexor tendons. At this level, the stiffness gradient tended to decrease when the angle of heel elevation increased from 0 to 8 degrees for both flexor tendons. There was a significant difference in SGI between loading and unloading the limb during AEG acquisition, with reduced variability when the digital flexor tendons were loaded. Results indicated that the SGI of digital flexor tendons was significantly affected by heel elevation. Regarding technique, AEG can be easily and effectively utilized to measure flexor tendon strain in a standing horse with applied heel elevation. This model resulted in direct quantification of tendon strain as it relates to distal limb conformation, which would allow for more targeted therapeutic farriery techniques.
Keywords: horse, Equine, Heel wedge, Heel elevation, Tendon strain, Flexor tendons, acoustoelastography, Shoeing
Received: 12 Apr 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shaw and Brounts. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kelly Shaw, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.