Symptoms that indicate physiotherapy or hydrotherapy may help
- Reluctance to jump into car
- Difficulties getting up/lying down
- Crying /whimpering when rising/attempting to lie down
- Obesity
- Reluctance to go for walks
- Standing/sitting/lying in an abnormal posture
- Flinching/reluctance to be stroked or handled
- Lameness
What conditions benefit
Pre-surgery
Many degenerative conditions will cause marked muscle wastage and a reduction in normal limb movement through lack of use. A course of hydrotherapy prior to surgery will minimise this muscle loss and will result in a faster return to normal limb function
Post surgery
The aim after surgery is to maximise normal limb function in the long term through minimising muscle loss and improving joint range of movement
Non surgical cases
- Hip dysplasia
- Elbow dysplasia
- Tendon injuries
- Obesity - water based exercise uses 30% more oxygen than similar land based exercise and so there are considerable additional cardiovascular benefits
Arthritis
Often the only signs owners notice is a slight stiffness or difficulty rising . The reason for this is that dogs hardly ever complain about pain (with the exception of neurological/ spinal pain) and so the suffering that they endure is so very easily overlooked
Arthritis is one of the commonest conditions affecting elderly dogs and should be considered not as one but as a group of painful conditions .
- Joint surface destruction
- Reduction in blood supply to the joint structures
- Fibrosis of the joint capsule
- Thinning of the joint fluid (reducing its cushioning properties)
- Chronic muscle spasm
- Fibrosis and muscle wastage
Neurological conditions
These are conditions affecting the nerve supply to muscles and joints. They manifest as nerve pain, reduced sensation/awareness and coordination.
- CDRM Chronic degenerative radiculo myopathy
- Intervertebral disc disease
- Lumber-sacral disease
- Fibro cartilaginous embolism
- Cervico spondylopathy