Helen is the first therapist in the South West to use video gait analysis as an integral part of her assessment protocol.
Helen takes a basic video record of all animals before their first treatment*. This footage is then downloaded to Helen’s dedicated Ontrack laptop running the analysis software. The files can then be analysed in various ways: typically, stride length, step length, straightness and joint angle are assessed. The programme is very versatile, and can allow the overlaying of one still shot on another (perhaps for visualisation of radiograph results on to the actual location of a problem) or can run two sets of video simultaneously to allow real time comparison of differences.
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The Ontrack system also allows for the production of reports. These can be in paper form or on CD, in which case clips of the video footage can be included. In some cases, the reports may be uploaded to the internet via the Ontrack Zone, and accessed there. The reports can be viewed, amended or annotated and returned in the same way. This is invaluable for allowing professional collaboration on the footage between vets, therapists and farriers without requiring all to be present at the examination. Communication between the animals’ veterinary care team and associated professionals is therefore maintained in full. There is a small charge for the production of reports.
Keeping a video record of all animals before and after treatment enables Helen to make accurate comparisons of changes and improvements. Conversely, is also invaluable to have a benchmark to refer to where problems have occurred since the original treatment, to pinpoint where performance differs.
*In order to take useful video footage, a flat area of hard surface is needed sufficient (in the case of a horse) for at least two trot strides to be filmed from the side. Obviously there are occasions when the working area is not ideal but generally, good footage can be obtained.