Despitelameness having major economic and welfare consequences,herd locomotion scoring is rarely performedon most farms. Detecting lameness using accelerometers,which are already used on farm for heat detection,would thus be helpful. Accelerometer variables that areindicative of lameness are assessed in this review. Behaviorvariables include walking, standing, lying, andrumination. Gait variables include walking speed andpeaks of acceleration during step cycles. Behavior hasbeen studied more than gait, but gait appears to bemuch more promising. Prioritizing research of gait variablesindicative of lameness will likely support lamenessdetection using accelerometers.
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