A clinical case shared by Dr. Lisa Woodside, a canine veterinarian and the owner of Ready To Go Veterinary Rehab clinic, specializing in injury rehabilitation and pain management, based in the USA.
Any visual lameness but…
Although no visual lameness was apparent, veterinarians often encounter cases where animals experience discomfort without obvious signs. In this blog article, Dr. Woodside shares an intriguing case involving a 6-year-old Border Collie who showed no apparent lameness but exhibited soreness in her left carpus upon examination.
This case prompted an exploration of the complexities involved in diagnosing and treating such subtle yet significant issues in furry companions. Despite the absence of visual lameness, data collected from Tendiboots™ canine and the veterinary examination led the team to suspect that the dog likely suffers from arthritis in the carpus.
Objective Measures & Subjective Wisdom
“Tendiboots was helpful in this case since there was no visual lameness; it was hard to determine if the issue was affecting her gait.
The Tendiboots showed us she was short strided and not lifting her leg as high as her right front.”
Dr Lisa Woodside, Ready To Go Veterinary Rehab
Tendiboots™ canine collects objective data to support assessment. Within seconds, this tool records five locomotor parameters: stride height, stride length, impact force, stride duration, and ground support time.
These data are always compared side by side, with the forelimbs compared to each other and the hind legs compared to each other.
This comparative approach facilitates a precise and detailed analysis of the animal’s gait, providing veterinarians with objective insights into symmetry and movement quality. Even subtle asymmetries can be identified, as discussed in this blog article.
In the veterinary field, clinical expertise and the subjective knowledge of practitioners are invaluable. However, integrating objective data can provide a crucial complementary dimension to their practice.
Objective data, such as diagnostic test results, laboratory analyses, and medical imaging, offer tangible and measurable information that can illuminate and strengthen clinical decisions.
This information allows for an accurate assessment of the animal's health status, providing objective insights into potential diagnoses, disease progression, and treatment effectiveness.
By combining this data with their subjective expertise, veterinarians can develop a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of each case, thereby enhancing the quality of care provided to their patients.
Essentially, the seamless integration of objective data and subjective expertise represents a cornerstone of modern veterinary practice, enabling practitioners to deliver superior care and promote the optimal well-being of the animals entrusted to them.
Arthritis treatment
The management of arthritis often requires a multifaceted approach aimed at alleviating pain, improving mobility, and slowing disease progression. In the case presented in this blog article, Dr Woodside applied manual therapy, chiropractic, laser on the bilateral carpus to help with mobility, joint compression and any joint effusion.
The combination of these treatments allows for pain relief, improved mobility, joint health maintenance, and enhanced healing.
The application of these treatments also contributes to the prevention of Secondary Issues. Arthritis in the carpal joint can lead to compensatory changes in posture and movement patterns, which may contribute to the development of secondary issues such as muscle imbalances and joint dysfunction. The complementary care approach helps address these compensations, preventing further deterioration of joint health and reducing the risk of secondary problems.
To prevent the risk of recurrence and ensure thorough follow-up care, the team at Ready To Go Veterinary Rehab clinic provides comprehensive at-home monitoring for the furry patient.
“Our follow up is to monitor at home and we have them on a 4 weeks follow up to continue to monitor the wrist and laser. There is risk of recurrence of a flare up and if needed we can have the owner rest, get wrist wraps, we also have a piezowave where we can apply the multimodal approach.”
Laser therapy and piezowave therapy are both beneficial in the follow-up care of canines with carpal arthritis.
Laser therapy reduces pain and inflammation while promoting healing, and it allows for continuous monitoring of joint health.
Piezowave therapy provides pain relief, enhances healing, and improves joint mobility, also aiding in monitoring the dog's progress over time.
Together, these therapies help manage arthritis symptoms and optimize the dog's quality of life.
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