How Physiotherapy can Help your Dog with osteoArthritis (OA)
How Physiotherapy can Help your Dog with Osteoarthritis (OA)
Physiotherapy is a key tool in managing your dog’s arthritis because it addresses many of the symptoms of OA, including pain, stiffness and loss of mobility while improving a dog’s quality of life. Here is how physiotherapy with me will work for your dog:
1. Pain Relief
Manual therapy techniques, such as massage, joint mobilizations and Tellington TTouch techniques can all help relieve pain by reducing muscle tension, soreness and improving circulation. Massage therapies also stimulate the production of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers.
Electrotherapies, such as photobiomodulation (also known as laser therapy), pulsed magnetic field therapy and ultrasound. These therapies all benefit a dog with arthritis, by increasing pain relief They do this by stimulating nerves and muscles, or by producing electromagnetic fields that help the body heal itself. A great additional pain relief source as well as pharmaceuticals.
2. Improve Mobility and Flexibility
Gentle passive range of motion exercises help maintain flexibility in stiff joints. By slowly and carefully moving the dog's limbs, I can help reduce stiffness and keep their joints moving more freely. Motion is Lotion!
Stretching exercises are customized to each dog’s condition, each dog and their symptoms are unique, as are their pain levels. By focusing on improving mobility without causing discomfort, using the dogs own movements to stretch their body, it not only helps with joint flexibility but also reduces the risk of muscle tightness around the affected joints, which can worsen the symptoms.
3. Strengthen Muscles
One of the main goals of physiotherapy for dogs with arthritis is to build and maintain muscle strength. Stronger muscles support the joints better, which in turn reduces the overall load on them and thereby easing the progression of arthritis. This can be achieved in many different ways, each program is uniquely created for your dog’s needs.
Targeted strengthening exercises are individually created to improve muscle tone around the affected joints. This helps stabilize joints that have lost function due to osteoarthritis, making movement easier and much less painful for the dog.
4. Weight Management
Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for managing arthritis because extra weight increases the stress on a dog’s joints. Excess weight has many effects on a body. Fat cells are inflammatory cells, and OA is an inflammatory issue amongst other things. Excess weight also creates problems with the endocrine system, leading to diseases such as diabetes. As your dog’s physiotherapist, I will create a balanced exercise plan that incorporates low-impact activities, like controlled walking, balance exercises and look at their diet/treats together so we can promote weight loss without causing pain or injury.
5. Improve Joint Function
Laser therapy, ultrasound therapy and PMFT are all modalities I am trained it that enhance the healing process in damaged tissues, reduce inflammation, and promote better joint function. All of which will benefit your dog.
These therapies can also help relieve pain and stiffness by stimulating blood flow and reducing inflammation in the arthritic joints, this makes it easier for your dog to move with less discomfort.
6. Provide Customized Exercise Plans
As a fully qualified and insured veterinary physiotherapist and Tellington TTouch Instructor, I will design a tailored exercise program for your dog based on their specific needs and stage of arthritis. This could include:
Balance exercises to improve proprioception and coordination, which are often affected by arthritis.
Tellington TTouch techniques to encourage body awareness, reduce tension, and improve movement patterns.
Strengthening exercises to build muscles safely and in a controlled manner in my clinic and continue at home.
These exercises can often be continued at home, giving you, as your dog’s guardian, tools to continue your dog’s therapy between appointments.
7. Support Mobility with Aids
As part of the therapy, the use of mobility aids such as harnesses, ramps or steps, buggies, support braces, or orthotics may be recommended to assist with walking, standing or any kind of mobility. These aids can make daily activities easier and less painful for dogs with arthritis. They will also help you by limiting the chance of you being injured trying to help your dog move around.
8. Prevent Secondary Issues
Dogs with arthritis often alter their movement to avoid pain, leading to compensatory changes in other areas of the body. This will often cause secondary issues like muscle strains, additional pain or joint injuries. We can address these additional issues as I work with the whole body, with a holistic view to dog care, ensuring balanced muscle development and correct posture.
9. Guardian Education
Many dogs struggle when their body starts to change. They may feel less secure and more likely to worry in new environments or with new people or dogs. They may appear less tolerant of situations that have not concerned them before. Rachel can help you recognise these changes and show you how you can help your dog become more confident again and by a few tweaks in their everyday life make their days brighter and fun filled.
As your dog’s guardian, the more you see how your dog moves from the beginning to how they improve, means you can easily spot when things change – for the better or if they are having a problem. As a chronic health problem, OA is ongoing, but it can be managed and it does not mean the end of fun and joy with your dog, it just means a slight shift in what and how you do things together. Rachel encourages you to be part of your dog’s health and well-being, recognising when there are changes, so that we can act promptly so your dog can receive the care they need ASAP.
In Summary
Physiotherapy for your dog with arthritis is about much more than just pain management. It helps improve mobility, reduce stiffness, strengthen muscles improve mood and wellbeing, all of which contribute to better joint health and a higher quality of life for the dog. With consistent physiotherapy, many dogs with arthritis can live more comfortably, enjoying longer periods of activity and improved overall wellbeing.
I see these positive changes daily in my clinic, and I love being able to help dogs with chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis. If I can help you with your dog, please do add a comment below, or book a phone call with me to discuss your dog’s specific needs.