Laurie's Blogs.

Attenuation in Photobiomodulation/ PBM / LLLT / Laser Therapy / Cold Laser

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

I’m sure I’ll be missing some points here… but this was my quick and dirty dive into the topic of laser light attenuation. Part of my Laser Therapy 101 series! Attenuation is a general term that refers to any reduction in the strength of a sign...

04
May 2024

Laser Light Reflection, Eye Exposure, and Random Musings

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

Here’s the story kids: At the conference I was at most recently, a couple of the sales people came up to the Animal Rehab Division booth to ask our opinion on their Class 4 laser for animals. (To be clear, it was a human physiotherapy conference, so they were le...

27
Apr 2024

Let’s Talk Spinal Stenosis in Dogs!

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

Spinal stenosis is narrowing of the spinal column that causes pressure on the spinal cord, or narrowing of the openings (called neural foramina) where spinal nerves leave the spinal column. Introduction:Spinal stenosis is a debilitating condition that can affect dogs, ...

20
Apr 2024

The Pitfalls of Dogmatism in Healthcare: Embracing Pragmatism for Patient-Centered Solutions

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

There are many ways to achieve a desired effect. In the complex realm of healthcare, where results matter, it's crucial to approach treatment planning with a blend of wisdom, open-mindedness, and a dedication to patient well-being. Yet, within the healthcare community, ther...

13
Apr 2024

What new in the literature pertaining to canine growth plates?

By request, and because it’s a good idea, I decided to do a wee search on one topic to see what new research was in that area. For this blog, I chose GROWTH PLATES. Let’s dive in! 1. What happens to leg length when you UNILATERALLY ...

06
Apr 2024

Neurorehabilitation for dogs with spinal shock in severe spinal cord injuries

I get giddy when I come across fantastically pivotal research just by happenstance! Here’s one of those papers. Gouveia D, Carvalho C, Vong N, et al. Spinal shock in severe SCI dogs and early implementation of intensive neurorehabilitation programs. Res Vet Sci. ...

30
Mar 2024

A Handful of Canine Underwater Treadmill Studies – Knowledge Nuggets

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

Sometimes I struggle to come up with a blog topic. So, I think about cases I’ve seen in my clinic that week. I do a mental ‘walk through’ my clinic to come up with ideas for topics. I go through a listing of recent journal articles or blogs.&nb...

22
Mar 2024

Laser after TPLO – A New Study Finds…

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

Photo credit: https://www.companionanimalhealth.com/page/laser-therapy I was looking forward to reading a newly published paper about laser therapy in post-operative TPLO cases. The study included 54 dogs and measured C-reactive protein (CRP), percenta...

16
Mar 2024

Vestibular Dogs and Return to Sport – PART 2

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

First off, please be sure to read Part 1 of this blog series ( https://www.fourleg.com/Blog?b=661 ), so that you can be up to date on the various conditions associated with canine peripheral vestibulitis. A couple of very interesting publications have looked...

09
Mar 2024

Vestibular Dogs and Return to Sport – PART 1

Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt, CAFCI, CCRT, Cert. Sm. Anim. Acup / Dry Needling

An interesting question came up as it pertains to dogs that have recovered from vestibulitis and participation in sports. Should we be concerned? Is there anything that can or should be done to help these dogs in regards to warm up or injury prevention? GRE...