I have a 6 year old, M/N, Beagle who had bilateral pan carpal arthrodesis performed 13 weeks ago following many years of chronic bilateral carpal laxity.
He was in a casts for the first 6 weeks and currently in bilateral carpal braces. As per his surgeon his 4 week post op rads looked great, 11 week post op rads revealed the Right is healing ahead of schedule however the Left is bit slower but still overall happy with healing this far. The surgeon instructed owner to allow him 5 min periods of time to roam without braces on throughout the day and to get to 1 hour with no braces in 7-10 days which is now.
I've saw him 3 weeks ago and demonstrated and instructed massage, PROM, stretching of proximal joints and digits, gentle weight shifting in braces thus far.
He appears very comfortable and there's absolutley no swelling. I'd love to get him started in the uwtm the only concern is he has a bandage wound on the palmar aspect of one of the carpi that still has some healing to do before it's able to go into the water. (I did a laser session and will continue until healed)
With all of that being said, do you have any further suggestions for land work or manual work in addition to the above mentioned while waiting to pursue water therapy.
This is my first Bilateral Pancarpal arthrodesis case and I'm really excited about it. Hoping to get some more insight on what else I can be doing safely without out braces on.
Thank you so much for all of your help!
J.R.
Bilateral Pancarpal Arthrodesis
Re: Bilateral Pancarpal Arthrodesis
So, it sounds like you are doing a good job. Given that this little guy has been compensating for quite some time, be sure to also check the spine for any compensation and do some general stretches for the rear end as well.
Some fascial stuff might be nice.
With the braces off, you may need to encourage weight shifting off of the rears and help him take a more normal stance. Maybe try an elevated plank, some hill work (when all stable and healed), side ways walking, walking over obstacles.
You can try uneven surfaces / inflatables, but I think it will just put the dog back into a protective posture. So, I’d stick with regular surfaces, and work on different ways to move on smooth ground.
The water will likely do the dog very well in regards to helping normalize his gait.
Cheers,
Laurie
Some fascial stuff might be nice.
With the braces off, you may need to encourage weight shifting off of the rears and help him take a more normal stance. Maybe try an elevated plank, some hill work (when all stable and healed), side ways walking, walking over obstacles.
You can try uneven surfaces / inflatables, but I think it will just put the dog back into a protective posture. So, I’d stick with regular surfaces, and work on different ways to move on smooth ground.
The water will likely do the dog very well in regards to helping normalize his gait.
Cheers,
Laurie
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES