| The equine carpal joint frequently sustains injury such as fractures, cartilage lesions, ligament tears and inflammation, partially due to the repetitive impact of more than 170% of a horse's body weight on a single limb during a racing gallop. Frequent injury warrants in-depth biomechanical and anatomical study of the carpus. In this thesis, the static kinematics and bone surfaces of the equine carpal joint were collected using a novel and accurate white-light measuring technique. Soft tissue surface models were created from 3D MRI scan segmentation and registered to the white-light surface data. Kinematic data for the joint in six discrete joint flexion positions are reported. A 3D anatomy teaching module for veterinarians was created, including soft tissue data, user interaction and correlation to MRI data. The module was given to a first-year veterinary anatomy class and evaluated via a survey, which indicated the computer model of the equine carpus was effective in giving a good spatial understanding of the joint. |
