Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog recovery after knee surgery is better with rehab therapy than rest
By Romano, Laura S & Cook, James L·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2015·University of Missouri, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Safety and functional outcomes associated with short-term rehabilitation therapy in the post-operative management of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs recovering from tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery was given either traditional post-operative care, which involved cage rest and limited walking, or rehabilitation therapy from a certified practitioner. The dogs that received rehabilitation were more likely to regain full function within eight weeks compared to those who followed traditional care. Both groups had similar complication rates after surgery, but the rehabilitation approach showed better short-term recovery outcomes. This suggests that rehabilitation can be a safe and effective option for dogs after TPLO surgery.
People also search for: dog TPLO surgery recovery · rehabilitation therapy for dogs after surgery · post-operative care for dog knee surgery
Abstract
This retrospective cohort study using electronic questionnaires compared the perioperative complication rates of tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery and the 8-week, 6-month, and 1-year functional outcomes, between rehabilitation and traditional post-operative management. Dogs were placed into 1 of 2 cohort groups based on attending veterinarian's selected management: i) "traditional" involving restriction to cage rest and leash walking, and ii) "rehabilitation" performed by a certified practitioner. There was no statistically significant difference in complication rates in the perioperative period between the 2 treatment cohorts (P > 0.1). The rehabilitation group was 1.9 times more likely to reach full function at 8 wk (P = 0.045). Conversely, the traditional group was 2.9 times more likely be categorized as having unacceptable function at 8 wk after surgery (P = 0.05). This study suggests that rehabilitation performed by a certified practitioner is safe and may improve short-term outcomes when used in the initial postoperative management for dogs treated with TPLO.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26347395/