Comparative evaluation of two physiotherapy rehabilitation treatments for osteoarthritis in the dog

Introduction and aim of the study. Osteoarthritis is the most common orthopedic disorder found in both human and veterinary medicine; physiotherapy is becoming an essential component of the multimodal approach to this disease1,2,3,4. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the efficacy of physical rehabilitation in the treatment of DJD and comparative evaluation of two different physical rehabilitation treatment. Materials and methods. Twelve dogs with clinical and radiographic diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Patients were divided into two groups: the first has performed laser therapy, magnetic therapy, treadmill and electrical stimulation; the second group has performed capacitive diathermy and underwater treadmill. Both groups was subjected to active and passive exercises. Patients underwent three physiotherapy sessions per week for four consecutive weeks. ROM (range of motion), circumference of the muscle mass, pain at the joint manipulation were evaluated at baseline (T0), after 15 days from first treatment (T15) and at the end of treatment (T30). Results. At T15 both groups showed an improvement in joint range of motion; the second group showed a significant increase in muscle mass and a substantial decrease of pain. At T30 all subjects had an increase in muscle mass and a reduction of articular pain. Discussion and conclusions. From this study it's possible to highlight the beneficial effects of physiotherapy rehabilitation in dogs suffering from DJD. Both rehabilitative treatments led to an improvement of the considered parameters. The use of diathermy and underwater treadmill allowed to achieve the same results in a shorter time.