Free‐ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): II. Passive joint mobility

Abstract

Recent studies on the effects of caging on joint mobility and the correlations between joint mobility and use of the extremities have pointed out the need for baseline values that are readily available in the literature. This report provides normative data on the passive mobility of the major joints of free‐ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The sample in this cross‐sectional study is large (661 animals including 315 males, 346 females), and it spans the entire age spectrum (24 hours to 25 years) of the population. Included are data on motion in the sagittal plane at six joints: shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. Results indicated that passive joint mobility changes in a nonlinear fashion throughout the life cycle. The apparent rapid decline in mobility from birth through puberty parallels rapid changes in body size and proportions in young animals. Joint mobility is relatively stable in prime‐age adults, whereas it is generally more restricted in older monkeys. Both genders follow a similar pattern, but timing differs somewhat. Although the primary purpose of this paper is to present numerical data on the Cayo Santiago population, the results are compared with previous, more limited studies of both captive and free‐ranging rhesus macaques.

Hip joint mobility in free‐ranging rhesus macaques

“…However, our data are similar to the joint excursion data of other workers, which suggests that joint mobility data are being collected fairly consistently between observers. For instance, extension was not significantly different between the two observers in this study, and our values are overlapping and similar in range to those published by Turnquist and Kessler (1989). In that study, macaque extension was typically about 150°, ranging from 129° in older individuals to 158° in younger individuals (versus our 131–168°, with a mean of 151°).…”

“…In this study, free-ranging females fell toward the lower range of values for male hip extension, but at the higher range for flexion and external rotation (Figure 2). It is possible that a larger sample of free-ranging females would have demonstrated significant differences between free-ranging males and females, as previously reported by DeRousseau et al (1983) and Turnquist and Kessler (1989).…”

“…DeRousseau et al (1983) found a significant increase in abduction in free-ranging male macaques compared to females, with no differences in hip flexion, extension, and adduction, though the sex-specific values were not published. Turnquist and Kessler (1989) found male-female differences in mobility that they attributed to sex-specific differences in the age of puberty and maturation. Our female free-ranging sample was too small to test for differences between sexes.…”

Brief communication: Cineradiographic analysis of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joints

“…In addition, our own observations during passive manipulations indicate that rotation at the transverse tarsal joint is much more easily produced than sagittal plane plantar-and dorsiflexion. However, use of anesthesia provides a standardized way to measure passive range of motion dependent on joint and ligamentous configuration alone, avoids confounding effects of voluntary and involuntary muscle force production, and follows methodologies similar to range of motion studies performed in other primates (e.g., Jenkins and Fleagle, 1975;Turnquist and Kessler, 1989;Hammond, 2014). Since all three subjects were subadults, it is possible that the absence of complete ossification of some tarsals may have inflated total ranges of motion by a small amount.…”

In vivo baseline measurements of hip joint range of motion in suspensory and nonsuspensory anthropoids

“…However, based on the age of some of the animals (sex-specific means presented in Table 2), it is unlikely that they were all skeletally mature at the time of study. Any age effects are considered to be unlikely, as range of motion in cercopithecoids has been shown to be relatively stable and only changing significantly during young (first 18 months) and advanced ages (Turnquist 1983; Turnquist and Kessler 1989). Veterinary records indicate that four of the Ateles included in this study are hybrids of Ateles fusciceps-geoffroyi-robustus and that all Papio are hybrids of Papio hamadryas-anubis-cynocephalus .…”