< Go Back Canine Physiotherapy Posted: Oct 29, 2017Who Benefits from Physiotherapy? Physiotherapy for your dog can be indicated for a variety of different reasons ranging from movement dysfunctions including stiffness and altered gait, to post surgery rehabilitation and maintenance for competitions.
Post-operative Treatment Physiotherapy following an operation may promote healing through reducing inflammation (Rees et al., 2006), encouraging the development of new tissue/bone (Sharma and Maffulli et al., 2005) and reducing the formation of inelastic scar tissue (Zhao et
al., 2002). Research has suggested that physiotherapy following tibial plateau leveling osteomotmy for dogs who are cranial cruciate ligament deficient significantly improves range of movement, muscle mass and strength (Monk et al., 2006).
Conservative Treatment Physiotherapy can be used to treat acute (new) and chronic (old) musculoskeletal or neurological conditions, with the aim to avoid or postpone more invasive procedures if deemed appropriate by the Veterinary Surgeon. Physiotherapy may increase strength,
balance and mobility in order to increase the dog's ability to complete daily functional tasks, for example stairs and getting into/out of the car (Kathman et al., 2006).
Preventative or Maintenance Treatment Physiotherapy may be used to prevent injury or maintain the function and performance of both competitive and non-competitive dogs. Aims would be to optimise the dog's biomechanics by maintaining the integrity of soft tissue structures, mobility of the
skeletal system and strength of the muscular system.
Which conditions do we treat?
Soft tissue injuries including muscle, ligament or tendon Osteoarthritis Hip or elbow dysplasia Cranial cruciate disease Post fracture or trauma Spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries Chronic Degenerative Radiculomyelopathy What treatments are used?
Soft tissue techniques including massage, myofascial release and trigger point release Joint mobilisations Exercise Therapy including core strengthening, pelvic stability and home exercise programmes Functional Rehabilitation including stair and stepping work Electrotherapy including H-Wave,Laser and muscle stimulation Kinesio taping Education and advice including home set up
What should I do if I think my dog needs physiotherapy? There are two ways you can go about it. You can speak to your Veterinarian about a referral to physiotherapy. Or you can self-refer to physiotherapy by searching the ACPAT (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy) or RAMP (Register
of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners) registers. If you chose to do that, your physiotherapist will contact your Veterinarian to get the full case history of your dog.
For any further advice please feel free to contact us!
[email protected]
Lottie - 07775 332 170
Jess - 07775 332 194
References:
Griffiths, D (2014) Physiotherapy treatment techniques and the young canine. UK Vet Companion Animal 19 (5).
Kathmann, I., Cizinauskas, S., Doherr, M., Steffen, F., Jaggy, A. (2006) Daily controlled physiotherapy increases survival time in dogs with suspected degenerative myelopathy. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 20 (4): pp 927-932
Monk, M., Preston, C. and McGowan, C. (2006) Effects of early intensive postoperative physiotherapy on limb function after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs with deficiency of the cranial cruciate ligament. American Journal of Veterinary Research 67 ( 3):
pp 529-536
Rees, D., Wilson, A., and Wolman, R. (2006) Current concepts in the management of tendon disorders. Rheumatology 45 (5) : pp 508-521
Sharma, P. and Maffulli, N. (2005) Tendon injury and tendinopathy: Healing and repair. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 87 (1): pp 187-202
Zhao, C., Amadio, P. and Momose, T. (2002) Effects of synergistic wrist motion on adhesion formation after repair of partial flexor digitorum profundus tendon lacerations in a canine model in vivo. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (84) 1: pp
78-84