UDC 636.8: 591.47
DOI: 10.36871/vet.zoo.bio.202205001

Authors

Natalya A. Slesarenko,
Elena O. Shirokova,
Anna A. Andrievskaya,
Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology – MVA by K. I. Skryabin”, Moscow, Russia

Abstract

The article presents the morphological and functional characteristics of the knee joint muscles in representatives of the feline family. When studying the structural and functional features of the knee joint, a comprehensive methodological approach was used, including fine anatomical dissection, biomechanical modeling with subsequent analysis of the studied structures and survey radiography. The objects of research were 10 cats of both sexes in the age range from 1 to 6 years, without pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, kept at home. Based on the conducted studies, both general patterns and specific features of the anatomical organization of the knee joint muscles in representatives of the feline family have been established. The revealed specific features are expressed in cats in the specific anatomical design of the tailor's muscle, consolidated with topographically conjugated fascial formations. A semi-webbed muscle, which is characterized by uneven development of its parts, as well as a slender muscle, the aponeurosis of which is involved in the formation of the achilles. Based on the results of biomechanical modeling, it was found that the features of the anatomical design of the knee joint muscles determine their functional purpose. It is shown that the strainer of the wide fascia of the thigh, being a multi-articular muscle, bends the hip, unbends and supinates the knee joint in synergy with the semi-tendon and popliteal muscles. The biceps femoral muscle in the limb support phase participates through its cranial head in the extension of the knee joint, and the slender muscle initiates its flexion and pronation. The revealed features of the distribution of sesamoid bones in the knee joint in a domestic cat may have an applied value in the issues of objective decoding of radiographic information, as well as differential diagnosis of arthropathies of the knee joint. The obtained normative data can be used in assessing the condition of the musculoskeletal system of the studied animals, deviations in its morphogenesis and deciphering the mechanism of myopathy development.

Keywords

knee joint, muscles, sesamoid bones, cats