Veterinary Science Collected Works - Theses

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    Investigation into the Contribution of Fascia to the Functional Anatomy of the Hindlimbs of Domestic Dogs
    Al-Juhaishi, Oday Alawi Jasim ( 2021)
    The hindlimb has a crucial role in the propulsion of the body through the interaction of interdependent anatomical structures. The objective of this study was to investigate how the fascia contributes to the functional anatomy of the canine hindlimb. The importance of employing a simple and reliable tool to determine the range of motion of joints, and which could be evaluated for normal and abnormal joints, motivated this work to use plastic goniometry (Jaegger, G., Marcellin-Little, D. J., & Levine, D., 2002). The joint angles of the stifle and tarsus of forty-four dogs (26 greyhounds and 18 other breeds) were measured before and after each step of a 12-step dissection processes. Significant changes to the angles of stifle and tarsus were observed following removing the skin, cutting of the biceps femoris insertion into the fascia lata and crural fascia, and after transverse incision of the deep fascia proximal and distal to the tarsal joint. This suggested that these structures play a significant role in stifle and tarsal function and may assist in stabilizing joints during periods of loading by restricting hyper-flexion and hyper-extension. Research then focused on the wider field of fascial anatomy to provide the foundations for understanding the distribution of loading and tension across the entire hindlimb. Twenty hind limbs were obtained from greyhound dogs, and their fascial anatomy was examined by dissection. The fascial layers and their connection to musculoskeletal, and collagen fibre alignment were described to deduce the fascial functional significance. Histological analyses of deep fascia and its attachment to muscles showed the fascia as a sheath of connective tissue made of irregular collagen and a few elastic fibres. This deep fascia was connected to the underlying muscle and superficial fascia by loose connective tissue. In addition, deep fascia had several myofascial expansions and various types of mechanoreceptors, as well as variable thickness according to the region of the limb. Hence, it can participate in joint coordination and load distribution during movement. The superficial fascia appeared to have the same structure as the deep fascia. It provided adhesion to the deep fascia and skin over bony prominences to create several fascial bursae, which suggested its role in reducing friction and assisting motion.