fourleg.com

Hi Laurie
How are you? Love your blog! Love the comics, love how you write!
I have a question.

This is a 5 year old German shepherd that a month ago jumped over something and since then he walks like his right rear leg is pulling inward (-internal rotation). Another vet diagnosed him with gracilis contracture and recommended tenectomy of the gracilis.

The dog runs, jumps, does long walks with no problem. On palpation I don't feel any hypersensitive nodule or taut muscle. The gracilis feels like a hard boiled egg and more noticeable on his right leg compared to the left. When I flex the hip, I can't extend the stifle, so I'm caught between if its a fibrotic myopathy, or an iliopsoas contracture, or gracilis... If you watch the video, both legs have some degree of internal rotation, more noticeable on the right leg. So, I'm completely lost. No signs of pain.

We have done 5 sessions of UWT with no improvement. Any suggestions? I'll send you a video when he is on the uwt. I have to tell you that even if it looks filthy, the water is clean, but when this guy goes in, it's like the monster of the lagoon! He gets it so dirty...

Thanks so much I'm really lost in this case
Cheers
Y.

Video has been uploaded to youtube - you may need to cut and paste the video URL into your browser bar to watch.
https://youtu.be/MTUOgOfIeoo

Hello Y!

Okay, so just from the video, I would would think that a fibrotic myopathy is quite likely. I assume that you checked the hips and that he is neurologically normal.
The UWT video didn’t come through, but the land one did.

Differentials - Lumbosacral stenosis / Nerve root foraminal stenosis / encroachment.
Test: Try doing a hamstring stretch (hip flexion plus stifle extension) with a tail pull. If you get more range with the tail pull, then the problem is caudal lumbar spine somewhere.

As for fibrotic myopathy - I’ve not usually found a tenderness. Maybe I’ve only ever seen them ‘later stage’…(??)

Any other findings? Back pain? Stifles okay? Body awareness? Hips?
Was it sudden onset or gradual? Any history of trauma?

Those are my thoughts for now!

Laurie

PS If it's a fibrotic myopathy (of gracilis or semi-membranosis or semitendinosis), you can work on stretching and dealing with the secondary issues. Only ONCE with a traumatic fibrotic myopathy was I able to make a difference with stretching... very aggressive stretching. Otherwise, they just don't resolve!