CASE HISTORY - MONK
By Laurie Edge-Hughes (BScPT)

Identification: Monk is a seven-year-old Springer Spaniel farm dog

History: Monk's back leg was accidentally stepped on by her owner.
After which, she would not bear weight through that leg. Her owners
thought that she was faking her injury because she would not always
limp, and would use her affected leg occasionally when running. She
was taken to a vet initially that confirmed nothing was wrong in the
stifle joint or nay of the bones or musculature. Monk still did not
progress. She was examined by a second vet who diagnosed her as
having a neuropraxia. (Monk had atrophy of hip and stifle musculature
and lacked her placing reflex*). Her owners were given a physio
exercise regime of: a) having Monk walk on her back legs only and b)
taping a small stone under her unaffected leg. The owners tried to
maintain this exercise program but found they did not do so very
often. Eight months went by, and Monk deteriorated. She would not
get up to go for walks, she did not travel with her owner to do chores
and she stayed lying in the porch most of the time. At this time
physiotherapy was consulted to see if something could be done at this
stage. Monk then came to live with me for further daily treatment.

On Examination: Monk displayed atrophy in her left hind leg musculature, as well as bilaterally in her hip musculature. Her placing reflex* was slow, but improved from eight months earlier, and her hopping reflex** was normal. She had difficulty getting up from sitting and stood with her left hind leg off the ground. She would walk without using the affected leg, but would occasionally use it when running. Monk had full range in all of her joints, but she displayed pain at end ranges of flexion and internal rotation. As well, her lumbar spine was generally hypomobile into extension.

Diagnosis: Monk was diagnosed as having neurological atrophy with returned neural functioning, flare-up of Osteoarthritic hip joints, and hypomobility of her lumbar spine.

Treatment: Monk's treatment included electrical muscle stimulation at 5 pulses per second to hr quads, hamstrings and glutes, as well as lumbar spine paraspinal muscles. She was made to walk on her back legs only (by holding her front paws and wheel barrowing her forwards and backwards. She was also taken on a daily walk. In addition to this she received spinal mobilizations to recover mobility in her lumbar spine.

Outcome: Monk made full recovery in a month's time. She went home, and her owners were instructed to continue her walking regime to maintain function and optimize the hip condition.

*The Placing Reflex is the dogs ability to immediately right its paw position when it is manually turned under, with the dog in standing (weight bearing position) (Also known as conscious proprioception)

** The Hopping Reflex is the dogs ability to hop in a sideways or diagonal direction when all of its weight is put on that leg (by manually holding up the rest of the body), and it is moved (displaced) in that direction.