Applications of Technology to Record Locomotion Measurements in Dairy Cows: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Lameness within the dairy industry is a concern because of its associated costs and welfare implications. Visual locomotion scoring has been commonly used for assessing cows' locomotion quality, but it can have low reliability and is relatively subjective compared to automated methods of assessing locomotion. Kinematic, kinetic, and accelerometric technologies can provide a greater number of more detailed outcome measurements than visual scoring. The objective of this systematic review was to determine outcome measurements, and the relationships between them, that have been recorded using kinematic, kinetic, and accelerometric technologies, as well as other approaches to evaluating cow locomotion. Following PRISMA guidelines, two databases were searched for studies published from January 2000 to June 2022. Thirty-seven articles were retained after undergoing a screening process involving a title and abstract evaluation, followed by a full-text assessment. Locomotion measurements recorded using these technologies often overlapped, but inconsistencies in the types of technology, the arrangement of equipment, the terminology, and the measurement-recording approaches made it difficult to compare locomotion measurements across studies. Additional research would contribute to a better understanding of how factors regarding the health, environment, and management of dairy cows affect aspects of locomotion, as recorded through the detailed, objective outcome measurements provided by these technologies.

Keywords: accelerometry; bovine; gait; kinematic; kinetic; locomotion.

Figure 1

PRISMA flow diagram for systematic review detailing the selection and screening of literature.

Figure 2

Relationship diagram of types of measurement recorded in the studies in this literature review and the methods used to record them. (Note: Not all measurements are listed for each measurement category. Examples of common measurements are displayed. Additionally, types of behavioral, gait-associated measurement and the approaches to recording them are not included, but are explained in the “Approaches to recording physiological and behavioral gait-associated measurements” section).