Laurie's Blogs.

I belong to a small group of experts in the field of veterinary manual therapy.  We try to meet twice a month to discuss research, findings, thoughts, and how to advance the understanding of and acceptance of manual therapy in animal healthcare.  We’ve had some great discussions and presentations.

One such presentation was by an author of the following paper:

Halle KS, Granhus A. Veterinary Chiropractic Treatment as a Measure to Prevent the Occurrence of Spondylosis in Boxers. Vet Sci. 2021 Sep 17;8(9):199. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8473340/ 

I was delighted to not only be directed to this paper, but also to hear it presented first hand by the lead author.  Okay… let’s dive in!

Background

Previous studies have found spondylosis in Boxers to affect 50% of dogs by six years of age, and 75% of dogs by nine years.  Heritability appears to be a factor as well.

A study on horses has shown an enhanced symmetry and movement of the spine and pelvis after chiropractic treatment, suggesting a similar effect in dogs. It remains to be shown, however, whether enhancing the flexibility and movement of the spine through veterinary chiropractic treatment could also be used to reduce the probability of development of spondylosis.

The researchers  hypothesized that an early development of spondylosis in Boxers may be prevented if segments of the spine with decreased flexibility are detected early and treated with veterinary chiropractic. This was based on the reasoning that the overall flexibility of the spine might normalize; hence, spondylosis might not form, since arthrosis and spondylosis typically form in joints where there is too much movement or irritation.

Materials & Methods

The researchers performed a randomized study where one half of the Boxer puppies from 17 litters were given veterinary chiropractic treatment at monthly intervals from eight weeks of age until they were one year old, while the other half were given no treatment (treated: n = 44, controls: n = 43).  

Treatment groups were essentially self-selected based on ability to get to the practitioner / author performing the Chiropractic treatment.  The treatment was applied once a month from 8 weeks of age until the dog was one year old and ready to be X-rayed in the spine. When detecting reduced or no movement in the anatomical direction of the joint, this was corrected with a high velocity and low amplitude thrust as taught at veterinary chiropractic schools approved by the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association.

A lateral radiograph was taken at 1 year of age.  In line with current practice in Norway, spondylosis was scored manually into one of the four categories 0–3, where the obtained score depends on the size of the ventral arthrosis of the spine.  Radiographs were scored by trained personnel at the Norwegian Kennel Club who was unaware of the objectives of the study.

Figure 1. The Norwegian scoring system of enthesophyte development in dogs

Overall, 35.6% of the dogs that were X-rayed had spondylosis, corresponding to a score between 1 and 3. The corresponding percentages for the dogs given chiropractic treatment and the untreated controls were 25.0 and 46.5 %, respectively (Figure 3). The probability of having spondylosis was significantly lower for the treated group than for the controls (p = 0.0478).

Conclusion

The results provide novel evidence that veterinary chiropractic treatment may be successfully used to reduce the probability of early development of spondylosis in young Boxers.

My thoughts:

I find this study fascinating.  I see potential here, and it fits in many ways with what I tell owners.  Get your puppies checked regularly throughout their first year of life.  I’ve not looked at it from the perspective of spondylosis, but I have thought of the contributions to back pain and conformation, and SIJ pain and hip dysplasia.  This is just another component  of which to be aware.  Lastly, as a physio with advanced manual therapy training, I would say that regular evaluation and Mobilizations to the spine would have the same impact based on what we know about the similar effects of mobilizations and manipulations.  

*Please see the following past blogs on mobilization versus manipulation:

 https://www.fourleg.com/Blog/316/Blog?b=347

*And other articles discussing the similarities of effectiveness

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25296741/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24467843/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33148134/

My point being… MANUAL THERAPY directed towards spinal mobility has the potential to replicate these results.  So, as a therapist, you can use whatever of those tools you have in your tool kit!

I hope you found this paper as interesting as I did!

Until next time… Cheers!

Laurie