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HI Laurie
 
Thanks so much for all your help with the cases I have sent previously. 
 
I am treating a 6 yr FS GShp with hip dysplasia that was diagnosed at 11 months of age.  She has been doing really well with her exercises.  We have gotten her to a point where her gluteals are >3/5 bilaterally and her back is almost flat instead of horribly kyphotic.  Her owners are really dedicated to her.  She gets massage at home every day, laser treatments every week and massage for a rehab therapist every other week.  The problem she always has is tight lats and tight Sartorius.  I have tried passive stretching – owners do this daily, active stretching – play bows, shake, cross body reach to stretch her lats and then paws up lean forward, legs on blocks lean forward, passive stretching and backwards over cavalettis to get her to stretch out her Sartorius muscles but no matter what we do these areas are always tight.  I am looking for some new stretches for her for these two areas and wondered if you had any ideas.
 
Thanks so much
L.

I’m going to throw a totally different perspective at you.

Why would they not be tight?  Why would they ever get 100% better?

So the lats are tight because she is more front wheel drive than ‘normal’.  She has to pull herself up and pull herself forwards as a movement style because her hips are crap, maybe hurt and her glutes are weak.  She will always have one or more of these components going on for the rest of her life (because you can’t make her non-dysplastic -  you can improve her, but there is an underlying issue there.)

Sartorius is likely tight because she holds herself a bit tucked under - still.  She likely has a posture whereby she has a bit of tone in her sartorius (and iliopsoas I’d bet too) as a mechanism to protect her from extending those hips into a painful range.  Her gait pattern is likely short strided with a reduced ‘end of stance phase’.  So perhaps she’s hiking a bit to get out of the end of stance.

You could continue with what you’re doing.  Perhaps add some myofascial hold over the muscles and some skin rolling over the area as well. Add in laser to these areas when you treat.  It’s maintenance.  You can’t make it all go away.  The dog will feel better with every treatment, but you won’t get her 100%… and that’s okay.  (Who of us out there are 100%??)

Instead, pat yourself on the back for finding these points and addressing them somewhat routinely.

Cheers,

Laurie