It may seem strange for a Decatur veterinarian to be writing about arthritis, but did you know that arthritis isn’t limited to humans? That’s right! Most animals can develop painful arthritis, as well, including your dog or cat. And, arthritis is just as painful for pets as it is for humans, especially for certain pets, like dogs, who tend to do what “their” humans do. Arthritis in humans can make simple activities, such as taking a walk and climbing stairs extremely painful. Because dogs frequently accompany their owners, dogs can experience the same kind of pain and debilitating problems doing the activities that their owners do.
Just going for a walk, let alone fetching a tossed ball or running in the ocean waves, can be very difficult and extremely painful for a dog with arthritis. To put it another way, arthritis can take the fun out of your dog’s “purpose” in life…to have fun! As a active veterinarian in Decatur I am pleased to let you know that treatment for canine arthritis is not solely confined to the use of pain medication. Dogs suffering from arthritis may be able to benefit from the physiotherapy that helps to improve joint mobility, just like humans are. Physiotherapy, in humans, aids in relieving arthritic inflammation and increase function of the affected joints and limbs. So, how does physiotherapy affect canine joints and limbs, and what methods are most effective?
Even though physiotherapy for dogs isn’t new, until recently there hasn’t been many studies done to competently document its effects on canine arthritis. However, a new study by researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, and published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research, validated the efficacy of physiotherapy in decreasing arthritic inflammation and immobility in dogs.
The researchers used a specifically-designed treadmill and sophisticated computer algorithms to analyze the movements of the joints in the front and back legs of dogs while the dogs performed three different types of exercises: walking uphill, walking downhill and walking over low obstacles.
The study showed that the three exercises had different and explicit effects on the movements of the dogs’ joints. While walking downhill did not appear to have much therapeutic benefit because it caused the hip to be less bent and the tarsal joint to be less extended, walking uphill caused considerably greater bending at the hip, while the stifle joint (the dog’s knee) was less extended. There were also decreases in the accelerations at the carpal and elbow joints. But, the most noteworthy effects came when the dogs walked over low obstacles. This resulted in increased bending of all joints except the hip and shoulder, and greater extensions of the carpal and stifle joints.
You may be asking, at this point, what all of of this means for your dog? For one thing, it indicates that walking uphill is a simple exercise that could be used to improve your dog’s joint flexibility, especially at the hip joint, and that adding low obstacles could aid in improving the bending of the joints in the forelimbs and hind limbs. Adding low obstacles should be avoided, however, if your dog has recently undergone surgery for the tibia, as such activity could result in increased bending of the joints and potentially strain the tendon that joins the knee to the shin.
And, as a dog loving Decatur veterinarian, I would like to make one final suggestion for “man’s best friend,” since the study indicated that walking downhill wasn’t shown to be effective anyway, perhaps a nice ride downhill in the car would be a nice treat for your dog once you’ve exercised him or her uphill!