Does it seem peculiar to you that a Decatur veterinarian is writing about arthritis? Well, let me explain. I believe that many people don’t know that arthritis isn’t limited to humans. Unfortunately, it’s true. Quite a few animals can develop painful arthritis, as well, including your dog or cat. And, since certain pets, like dogs, are active companions to “their” humans during many daily activities, arthritis can be especially disabling. Arthritis in humans can make simple activities, such as going for a walk and climbing stairs extremely painful. Because dogs frequently accompany their owners, doing these activities can cause the same kind of pain and debilitating problems.
Simply going for a walk, let alone fetching a tossed ball or running in the park, 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 happy to tell you that treatment for canine arthritis is not entirely reduced to the use of painkilling drugs. Just as humans suffering from arthritis often benefit from physiotherapy that helps to augment joint motion, dogs can, too. Physiotherapy, in humans, aids in relieving arthritic pain and improve function of the affected joints and limbs. You may be wondering how physiotherapy affects canine joints and limbs, as well as what exercises are most effective.
Although physiotherapy for dogs has been around for a while now, until recently there hasn’t been adequate research 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, confirmed the efficacy of physiotherapy in decreasing arthritic inflammation and immobility in dogs.
The researchers studied the movements of the joints in the front and back legs of dogs through the use of a specifically-designed treadmill and intricate computer algorithms. While the researchers took notes and measurements, the dogs performed three types of exercises: walking uphill, walking downhill, and walking over low obstacles.
The study showed that the three movement protocols had different and particular 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 significantly 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 consequential effects came when the dogs walked over low obstacles. This resulted inadditional bending of all joints except the hip and shoulder, and greater extensions of the carpal and stifle joints.
You may be wondering, at this point, what all of of this means for your dog? First of all, it indicates that walking uphill is an easy exercise that could be used to improve your dog’s joint flexibility, particularly at the hip joint, and that providing low obstacles could help to improve the bending of the joints in the forelimbs and hind limbs. It is important to mention, though, that adding low obstacles should be avoided if your dog has recently had 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 add one final suggestion for “man’s best friend,” since walking downhill wasn’t shown to be effective anyway, after you’ve exercised your dog uphill, perhaps a ride in the car back down the hill would be a nice treat!