Rehabilitation following surgical management of canine osteoarthritis

There are a wide range of treatment options currently available within veterinary practice for the management of osteoarthritis. One option which should be considered and ruled in or out when considering a patient management plan is surgery.

There are multiple surgical options available for the management of osteoarthritis, which differ according to the joint(s) affected. The goals of surgical treatment are similar regardless of the procedure performed, and include to improve pain, to maintain or maximise joint function, and/or to slow the progression or remove the changes within the joint associated with osteoarthritis (Cook and Payne, 1997). This article focuses on rehabilitation following some of the most common procedures referred for rehabilitation therapies following surgical management, including:

Total hip replacement is most often considered as a management option for skeletally mature dogs who are not responding successfully to conservative management (Dycus et al, 2022). It is a procedure associated with a high success and low complication rate, with success reported as being between 80–98%, based on the status of pain and function assessed both clinically and radiographically, and by owner feedback (Henderson et al, 2017). The more common complications following total hip replacement include luxation, femoral fracture, issues relating to wound healing, implant loosening, acetabular fracture and sciatic neurosis (Henderson et al, 2017).