Moment arms about the carpal and metacarpophalangeal joints for flexor and extensor muscles in equine forelimbs

Abstract

Objective - To determine whether muscle moment arms at the carpal and metacarpophalangeal joints can be modeled as fixed-radius pulleys for the range of motion associated with the stance phase of the gait in equine forelimbs. Sample Population - 4 cadaveric forelimbs from 2 healthy Thoroughbreds. Procedure - Thin wire cables were sutured at the musculotendinous junction of 9 forelimb muscles. The cables passed through eyelets at each muscle's origin, wrapped around single-turn potentiometers, and were loaded. Tendon excursions, measured as the changes in lengths of the cables, were recorded during manual rotation of the carpal (180° to 70°) and metacarpophalangeal (220° to 110°) joints. Exte..