Alan Gardner is a specialist veterinary physiotherapist and director of SmartPaws Physiotherapy, based in the UK. With extensive experience in gait analysis, he has been a regular user of the Stance Analyzer and the Fitfurlife treadmill system. Always seeking innovative tools to enhance his clinical evaluations, he integrated Tendiboots™ technology into his practice to gather objective data during movement.
In this blog article written in his own words, Alan shares his professional journey, offering insights into how advanced tools support his work in canine performance and care. A valuable read for anyone in the veterinary field aiming to combine clinical expertise with cutting-edge technology.
Introduction
Every passionate journey begins with a spark of curiosity. As a canine physiotherapist specializing in sports rehabilitation, I am committed to finding the best tools to give objective patient evaluations.
Why? First, let us consider agility dogs.
A study published in 2022¹ demonstrated that over 40% of dogs had sustained an injury at some stage. Of these, 27% “had an undefined or non-specific cause”.
In my experience, those types of injuries are subtle and require objective assessment tools. In fact, research papers indicate that:
1) Using objective gait analysis provides more reliable and detailed results compared to relying solely on hands and visual assessment².
2) Stance analysis demonstrates its repeatability in measuring weight distribution in dogs with lameness³.
So, both great tools for assessing subtle issues.
A journey to Tendiboots™
Fitfurlife gait analysis
I started my gait analysis journey 10 years ago with the Fitfurlife gait analysis.
This evaluates motion and is particularly useful for detecting subtle lameness, assessing recovery from injuries⁴ ⁵.
For example, a dog with early-stage joint discomfort might distribute weight normally while standing, but gait analysis could expose compensatory movements—like shorter stride length, reduced limb extension, or asymmetric movement. This allows for early detection of mobility issues before they become more pronounced.
Numerous studies have validated the use of the reliability and repeatability of this data, showing they consistently provide objective measurements of gait parameters⁶.
Companion Stance Analyzer
With canine physiotherapy often being "mobile", I also needed a tool that I could use in the field, the stance analyser meets this need. Unlike gait analysis, it examines weight distribution while the dog is stationary, providing insights into pain, joint issues, or postural imbalances⁷.
Typically, a dog carries 60% of its weight over its front end; so, an ideal analysis would be fore: 30/30, rear: 20/20.
In use the benefits include:
👉 Easy to use: the assessment is performed while the dog is standing naturally.
👉 Tracks changes in weight distribution over time provides objective evidence of treatment effectiveness.
👉 Generates easy-to-understand reports: help explain a dog's condition and progress to owners.
While stance analysis is an excellent mobile tool for detecting weight-bearing imbalances and explaining the results to owners, gait analysis does reveal subtle irregularities under load, that may not be evident when a dog is standing still.
The curiosity spark: Tendiboots™ gait analysis
When the Tendiboots™ Canine gait analysis tool became available, I decided to investigate. My evaluation showed me that it could have the advantages of a gait analysis tool (with embedded sensors in a mat or treadmill belt), with mobility of the stance analysis, where required.
Additionally, with my experience of the Fitfurlife system, I could use the Tendiboots tool on my professional Fitfurlife treadmill (no embedded pressure sensors) when the client can come to clinic.
The advantage of this is consistency:
👉 in the speed of test,
👉 reducing handler influence⁸,
👉 and surface / environmental variabilities⁹.
How do I use these tools?
When I first see the patient, I will use both (stance and gait) tools.
If it is a home visit, then the gait will be normal walking, considering the caveats above. If in clinic (preferred) then it will be on the treadmill.
The data from both tools provides my further assessment: muscle tone and range of motion tests. They will help me focus on particular areas. In most cases, I will pick up muscular / range of motion imbalance highlighted in the gait or stance analysis. Which tool I continue with as part of the rehabilitation assessment, is explained by these three case studies.
Case studies
Dog #1
Dog #1 came to me with a pre-diagnosed left iliopsoas issue.
The issue was chronic and had already been through the typical "heal – reinjure" cycle¹⁰. The owner was looking for additional objective analysis to help in designing their rehabilitation.
We assessed the patient using both the stance analyzer and the Tendiboots™ gait analysis tool.
Static analysis (Stance Analyzer)
The dog showed weight distribution towards its contralateral diagonal forelimb.
Interestingly the weight distribution in the affected limb was still ~20%; meaning that we could not use this method for assessing our treatment plan.
Dynamic analysis (Tendiboots™)
This did show three data points which indicated areas for improvement¹¹, reduced:
- stride length
- peak vertical ground reaction force
- stride duration
Three months into the rehabilitation process, all three data points were even between the rear limbs.
Discussion
Although the stance analysis did pick up offloading, in this example the gait analysis (Tendiboots™) was the best tool for re-analysing the efficacy of the treatment plan.
This aligns with the statement made above gait analysis could expose compensatory movements — like shorter stride length, reduced limb extension, or asymmetric movement.
Dog #2
Dog #2 was a cruciate repair patient. The goal was to continue their post-operation rehabilitation plan outlined by the veterinarian.
Initially we did not carry the stance or gait analysis, as there was (obviously) limited limb use at the time.
Six weeks into rehabilitation we made both assessments.
Static analysis (Stance Analyzer)
Weight distribution was forwards with a bias towards the contralateral diagonal forelimb. The data was significant enough that we could use this to assess on going rehabilitation (i.e. restore a more balanced 60/40 weight distribution).
Dynamic analysis (Tendiboots™)
On walking the analysis produced interesting numbers, the affected rear limb was showing significantly longer stride length (x2.3), than the unaffected limb.
Two reasons for this:
- Altered biomechanics can influence limb positioning during gait¹².
- Residual post-operative swelling can subtly affect limb length measurements¹³.
Discussion
Earlier we mentioned that stance analysis can provide insights into joint issues.
We did pick up significant weight distribution changes (demonstrating reluctance to fully weight bear), as well as the stride length imbalance.
We used both analytical tools for assess progress in the rehabilitation. After 6 additional weeks: the stance analysis demonstrated a much-improved front / rear weight distribution (54/46), and the stride length difference was down to 1.6. between affected and unaffected limb.
Dog #3
Our final dog #3 provides balance!
They were (are) a healthy dog which had their annual ‘physical health’ assessment. I have included them to compare how the tools return data on a dog with no known / evident physical issues, i.e. they are in good health.
Static analysis (Stance Analyzer)
The dog showed good weight distribution and centre of gravity, well within the expected margin of error¹⁴.
Dynamic analysis (Tendiboots™)
The analysis did pick up a subtle difference between stride lengths in the two rear limbs. As there is no obvious issues or lameness, we added strengthening / flexibility exercises into the client’s regime.
Discussion
Both tools showed the dog, as expected, to be in good condition. Palpation confirmed this. However, the gait analysis (Tendiboots™) did highlight one area "to keep an eye on".
We can continue to evaluate this on their next health check.
Conclusion
Research shows that gait analysis provides reliable and detailed results compared to visual assessments, while stance analysis is effective in measuring weight distribution in dogs with lameness.
Today, I use both stance and gait tools during initial assessments and the data from these tools guide further assessments, such as muscle tone and range of motion tests.
Case studies demonstrate the practical benefits of these tools in real-world scenarios, improving patient outcomes. For canine physiotherapists and veterinarians, advanced gait analysis is essential.
My assessment to date is that Tendiboots gait analysis offer a comprehensive approach to evaluating and treating canine patients, detecting subtle irregularities, tracking progress, and providing objective evidence of treatment effectiveness.
Want to know more about Tendiboots™ Canine?
Additional information & sources
¹ Frontiers | Internet Survey of Risk Factors Associated With Training and Competition in Dogs Competing in Agility Competitions
² Gait Analysis Using Wearable Sensors - PMC
³ Single-day and multiday repeatability of stance analysis results for dogs with hind limb lameness in: American Journal of Veterinary Research Volume 80 Issue 4 ()
⁴ 2016-0304_RR_GaitAnalysis_author.indd
⁵ Canine Gait Analysis | Today's Veterinary Practice
⁶ Kinetic gait analysis in healthy dogs and dogs with osteoarthritis: An evaluation of precision and overlap performance of a pressure-sensitive walkway and the use of symmetry indices - PMC
⁷ Stance and Dynamic Eval in Canine Rehab | Onlinepethealth
⁸ Frontiers | Pressure Mat Analysis of Walk and Trot Gait Characteristics in 66 Normal Small, Medium, Large, and Giant Breed Dogs
⁹ Key Components of Canine Gait Analysis in the Rehabilitation Exam | Today's Veterinary Nurse
¹⁰ Rehabilitation of Iliopsoas Strain in Dogs | The Balanced Dog
¹¹ To the unaffected contralateral rear limb.
¹² Cruciate injury in dogs: physiotherapy and rehabilitation | Academy FR
¹³ Post op - Cruciate ligament repair | Amicus Veterinary Centre
¹⁴ Development of a simple method to measure static body weight distribution in neurologically and orthopedically normal mature small breed dogs | BMC Veterinary Research | Full Tex
