Incapacitance Meter, also called Static Weight Bearing, is specially designed to quantify pain in rodents by measuring the static weight borne by each hind paw. It provides an objective index of discomfort by comparing left vs. right paw load, making it ideal for spontaneous pain assessment in small animals. Animals (mice or rats) are placed in a custom holder so that each hind paw rests on a precision force plate. As the animal shifts its posture, the Incapacitance Meter continuously records the force on each hind limb, calculating a symmetry index and average load over time. This noninvasive, automated minimizes stress on the animal and eliminate reproducible data for pain and behavior studies.
The Incapacitance Meter uses dual-channel weight sensors under each hind paw to capture weight distribution with high accuracy. Its real-time LCD touchscreen display shows left and right paw weights and symmetry index while a built-in computer analyzes data instantly. Tests run for user-defined periods (from a few seconds up to several minutes), during which the Incapacitance Tester averages the forces on each paw. The Incapacitance meter is specially intended for pain and inflammation research: it measures diminished weight-bearing on an affected limb as a sensitive indicator of spontaneous pain. Unlike reflex-based tests, this setup lets the animal stand freely at rest, providing an observer-independent measure of ongoing pain or recovery. All operations like start, stop, reset, calibration are controlled from the touchscreen control unit, enabling flexible, programmable testing without extra equipment.
Benefits and Advantages
The Incapacitance Meter provides objective, observer-independent data, eliminating subjective bias. By measuring each hind paw continuously as the animal stands naturally, it quantifies spontaneous pain without the need for induced stimuli. Key advantages include:
Benefits
Advantages
Stress-free testing
Animals are unrestrained and free to adopt a normal stance, avoiding stress-induced fluctuations.
High sensitivity
Dual-platform design ensures even small shifts in weight are detected, enabling early pain detection. Published data show such devices reliably track decreased limb loading in rodents after inflammatory or neuropathic injury.
Repeatable results
Once animals are trained to stand in the incapacitance meter, repeated trials show very little variation in baseline weight distribution. This high repeatability means subtle changes (e.g. due to drug treatment) can be detected confidently.
Automated analysis
Integrated software computes symmetry indexes and statistical outputs in real time, saving time for researchers. Users can quickly export charts or raw data for publication-quality reports from our incapacitance meter.
Left limb pressure MAX Right limb pressure MAX
Left limb pressure AVE Right limb pressure AVE
Left limb pressure standard deviation Right limb pressure standard deviation
Difference between limbs Symmetry Index
