YORKY CLUB MAGAZINE #20 - December 2011

"Dog physiotherapy "
by P. Snellman-Nimenpalo.

Animals suffer from many of the same ailments that people do e.g. arthritis, back and neck pain, traumas. Physiotherapists treat for example dogs that are active training or working dogs, pre or post operative cases, neurological problems and old age related diseases.

Active training and working dogs strain their bodies in many ways, and exertions can cause the body to get for example movement disorders and muscle tension. By preventing and curing muscle tensions and movement disorders, the dog's unsatisfactory performance can be improved and maintained as well as possible. Even though the dog would be moving versatilely, it can have muscle weaknesses. Most commonly muscle weaknesses are found in the deep muscles. Deep muscles are supporting the spine and joints. By training deep muscles the dog´s performance and body balance improves. When the muscle condition is good, the dog copes better and it reduces the risks of accidents. Physiotherapists prepare individual training programs for your dog as needed, which will be followed and updated regularly.

Nowadays lots of different surgeries are made for dogs. Surgeries can cause abnormal movements and pain. Pre- and post-rehabilitation is important to give that the dog can have the best possible join movements and moving models. It´s good that the owner knows what the dog can do in each stage of rehabilitation so that the recovery from the surgery happens in the best way.

Even if your dog doesn´t have an active hobby there might come traumas, lameness, sprains, neurological problems or atrosis. Lameness and muscle injuries are always best to take care of as quickly as possible, so that they don't cause more problems for example to the spine or elsewhere in the muscles or joints. Especially in older dogs, physical therapy can be used to promote joint mobility, prevent muscle atrophy, maintain the dog´s strength and aerobic capacity and helping pain relief.

What do dog physiotherapists do?

Dog Physiotherapy is based on largely to the same methods and treatments as human physiotherapy. The physiotherapist evaluates the dog's mobility and it´s ability to function. The physiotherapist aims to influence those by maintaining or increasing them as much as possible. By interviewing the owner and by examining and observing the dog´s performance, the physiotherapist makes the diagnosis and observes the therapy target. Because dogs don´t speak it makes the therapy more challenging. Therefore co-operation with veterinarians is very important that the dog will get the best treatment as possible.

Physical therapy always begins with an examination of the dog. There the therapist makes an gait analysis to study the dog´s locomotion, observes the body symmetry and looks how the body weight has divided to all four limbs. Then the dog´s bodymuscle elasticity, fitness and mobility of joints are examined. Depending on the dog's diagnosis, the bodybalance, coordination, postural sense, etc. is also examinated. After this the physioteherapist thinks about appropriate treatments and makes a rehabilitation program and with the owner thinks of the individual targets for physiotherapy.

Therapeutic treatments

-manual therapy: manipulatio, mobilisatio, massage, stretching
(pic 1,2)
-Therapeutic exercises includes exercises that improves e.g. mussel strength
( pic 3: weight-bearing exercise for hind limbs.
pic 4: sit and stand up exercise, power training for hind limbs
pic 5, 5.2, 5.3: box training for body coordination
pic 6 and 6.1: body coordination exercise on airbag
pic 7: deep mucle training)

-Aguatic therapy (pic 8,9,10,(11)
aquatic therapy can be given in the underwater treatmill, swimming pool or in lake/sea.
-Physical therapy
- electrotherapy
-cold /heat sources
-ultrasound
-lasertherapy

-Physiotherapist estimate and customise orthosis, braces and other different help tools.

Physio for yorkies
Yorkies also need physio, although they are not our most common patients. If the yorkie is an active training dog (agility etc.) it needs physio there were other dogs do.

Usually yorkies come to physio because they have:
-Knee or hip operation (patella luxatio/legg pertes)
-Neurological problems (infarct, discus prolaps)
-old age relative diseases (artrosis,lack of range of motion)
-trauma (fractures, sprain)