Rehabilitation and recovery times for canine patients post hemilaminectomy

Postoperative rehabilitation after spinal surgery is widely accepted in human medicine as having a positive effect on patient outcome. As an example, a conclusive study carried out by Green et al (2016) on the effects of rehabilitation with human patients after a total lumbar disc replacement found physiotherapy to improve functional disability, pain and quality of life. Consideration as to whether similar post-operative rehabilitation techniques would have a positive impact on recovery times for canine patients undergoing a hemilaminectomy is therefore an important topic. As this literature review will demonstrate, the applicability of this notion to veterinary medicine remains inconclusive and contested.

There are many research papers and discussions surrounding intervertebral disc disease and its surgical management via a hemilaminectomy. Despite this there is a relative paucity of academic work regarding recovery rates and the recovery process itself. However, the rapid growth of the rehabilitation profession over the past couple of years has meant that more scientific evidence is becoming available. Patients recovering from hemilaminectomy are often severely compromised (Moore et al, 2016). The inability to move their limbs, urinate or defaecate, and move from lateral to sternal recumbency highlights the profound importance of nursing and supportive care required. Key aspects of the rehabilitation process in-clude pain management, bladder evaluation, skin care, physiotherapy, correct nutritional intake and prevention of sores and decubitus ulcers.