Your Comments - TMJ & Bracing
06 Jul 2012
June TMJ Comments
So funny to mention TMJ for the month of May!
I had a case as well, a cat from Bide-A-Wee rescue group that had it’s jaw wired for a period of time by our dentist, Dr. XXXXX. As cat’s are not as cooperative as our dog patients, I did gonio measurements pre LLLT (under sedation), daily LLLT and then a post gonio (under sedation) - got 10* improvement in ROM and he seemed much more comfortable and was able to eat dry food 2 days after implant removal and 2 laser treatments :))
Giuliana G. Lerch, LVT,CCRP
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June Bracing Comments
Hi Laurie,
Great idea, these blogs! I hope you get a lot of feedback, it could be e very effective way to discover how our colleagues work. Science and practice is not always the same.
About the brace-issue for the dog with an ACL-deficient knee:
It would not be my choice to give a dog a brace without neuromuscular rehab. A while ago I got a patient the surgeon wouldn’t operate on, because the dog is too fat and the ACL is not completely through. When I saw the dog (Appenzeller Sennenhond) for the first time, she already had a brace. I began training her in the UWT for stability and muscle strength and now the dog walks completely without a limp. I felt at ease with the brace because of the overweight of the dog, although I know it may be just the idea. This is my first experience however with the combination ACL-deficient knee and brace.
I hope you get more reactions!
Your book list could have been taken from my bookshelf. I only have 2 books in German to add. Not your favorite language I suppose…
Cheers,
May Römer-Bartels
dierenfysiotherapeut
Vaartweg 163 A
1217 SP Hilversum
035-6280162
www.dgcromer.nl
fysio@dgcromer.nl
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Hi Laurie,
I find your blog and website an amazing resource and I wanted to thank you for both of them. I practice animal massage and it is a very small scope that we are allowed to work in here in the states, but I have had a little bit of dealing with acl/ccl injuries. In two of the cases I’ve worked with both dogs had minor tears with no meniscus damage that could be seen (x-rays are the only form of pre-surgical diagnosis for these two dogs). Both dogs went through 6 months of Conservative Management with massage, stretching and range of motion exercises along the way. Both dogs were also labradors, one was 2.5yrs. and male ~70lbs and at a healthy weight, the other was 7yrs. and female ~55lbs and about 10lbs overweight. Neither dog used a brace during rehab.
The third dog I worked with I only saw once. He was 5yrs old and at least 15lbs overweight at 85lbs. He was huge. It was a pretty bad tear, probably with some meniscus damage, and one of the owners was against surgery altogether. I gave them everything I could, rehab places to go to with therapy pools and lasers, and physiotherapists like yourself, but in the end the only thing they did for this dog was what I had showed them and it worked. I told them to have the dog lose weight (they weren’t measure the food this lab was getting), start slowly very slowly, and I showed them range of motion and stretching exercises. That was it. I saw this dog after it had been lame for 5 weeks and still couldn’t put any weight on the affected leg. The wasting of the muscles in that lame leg was horrible. I had an update from a sibling of theirs (2 years after I first saw this dog) and this dog has completely healed and has no limping. They did not do surgery, and unfortunately no rehab beyond what I just described. They also did not use a brace. Dogs’ ability to heal amazes me, and this dog must be something special or have a very committed owner.
Thank you again for all of the information you have put together and I look forward to buying your book.
Take care,
Karen Lashenske
503-805-6027
www.therapeuticanimalmassage.com
Karen@therapeuticanimalmassage.com
Therapeutic Animal Massage Blog
Therapeutic Animal Massage Facebook
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BTW love the brace blog. I even used some of your CrCL protocol to convince a recent client to not drive to CO and get a brace for her 3 year old Boxer with a heart problem! Thanks for that:)
Robby
Robert J Porter III
Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner
Louisiana Veterinary Referral Center
Animal Rehabilitation Center
Mandeville, LA
70448
Main Hospital: 985 626 4862 ext. 208
lavrc.com
twitter.com/LAVRC
facebook.com/LAVRC
youtube.com/user/LAVRC
facebook.com/louisianaCOP
