First Rib, Failure, the RCMP Dog, & Fan-Mail...

Published: Mon, 10/15/12

Hey Folks!
Another happy Monday Morning to you!  

This week's video training goes out to my friend Pauline!  First rib assessment and mobilization... because you asked for it!  

The blog addresses a very intriguing question, I've been asked:  "Why do you think that most rehab practices fail?"  Interesting to ponder indeed!

Cool case of late:  Last month I assessed an RCMP dog.  (i.e. Police dog for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police... and no, the dogs don't have to wear the red coats or ride horses!)  Anyways, he's in training and showing great prospect but he's lame on a rear leg.  The dog handler took him to the vet clinic they use, where one of the vets diagnosed a partial cruciate tear, and the owner of the clinic referred to dog to me for an assessment, treatment, and opinion on future workability prospect!  So, what I actually found was a grade 1 patellar 'laxity' - I wouldn't call it a luxation.  There was swelling around the patella, pain to compress the patella and extra mobility at the patella, plus trigger points all along the quadriceps and sartorius.  The stifle joint (tibia-femoral) was clean - no pain, no laxity, no swelling, no tenderness...  So my prescription was for specific targeted exercises - hill walking, squats, and land treadmill walking (rear legs only) with manual resistance to these legs, plus laser therapy to the patello-femoral joint and trigger points (performed by the clinic that referred the dog).  Just this past week, I saw him back again (about 4 weeks since the initial assessment), and he is fabulous.  His thigh circumference is identical from side to side, his weight bearing on each hind leg was symmetrical, no pain or swelling at the patellofemoral joints and essentially, he's great on all accounts!  Back up a bit!  This boy had been lame since November of 2011 - and here he is 'sound' within a month!  I LOVE my job!!

Well, thanks for listening - it's nice to get to share our success stories!
First Rib
The video training is officially UP!  First rib lesions can cause offloading of a front limb, performance issues, or lameness!  See how to assess and treat for this 'more common than you think' problem!
Failure Blog
Why do many canine rehab businesses fail?  This is an interesting question posed to me... and it really got me thinking!  (In part, it's why I created the website).  So these are some of my ideas (and the things I try to address within the membership website)!
You make me happy too!
I've had a few 'fan e-mails' come in... here's a few:

I am cracking up! Are you my twin? I was reviewing some info on website and always get interrupted and put it on back burner. So I was just saying to myself...every day I need to learn and use one rehab thing. Then when I just got this email you reiterated that. I was wondering if you somehow could monitor your subscribers and hassle them if they have not been on enough!! Lol. I need it! Love it...C.N.

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So my new resolution is this...

Mondays are my "school" days.  I work on my tDPT courses, assignments, and exams for a majority of the day.  NOW I'm going to resolve to do at least one of your modules every Monday BEFORE I get down and dirty with my tDPT homework.

Thanks for the email reminders.  Nice job with all of this, Laurie.  It's been a long time coming!

A.H.


Thanks guys!  I'm having fun with this too, and I so very much appreciate all of you AND praise you for your dedication to continuing your learning journey!

Until next time...
Cheers!
Laurie
Laurie@FourLeg.com