Canine cranial cruciate ligament damage and the use of hydrotherapy as a rehabilitation tool

Abstract

An examination of the pathophysiology of canine cranial cruciate ligament injury, for both acute and chronic presentations, describing the stages and modes of repair, and the use of hydrotherapy as a rehabilitation tool. Conclusions favour of the use of hydrotherapy as a beneficial, enjoyable and cost-effective rehabilitation tool, and as an excellent vehicle during the transition between the weak, post-operative and the fully rehabilitated state.

Multiple Choice Questions

1.	How many ligaments support the canine stifle joint? (a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4
2.	What grade of damage to the CCL would be indicated by varying degrees of damage to the inner fibres as well as the synovial sheath over time? (a) Grade one (b) Grade two (c) Grade three (d) Grade four
3.	Which of the following is not a surgical technique for cranial cruciate ligament injury? (a) ESS (b) TPLO (c) TTA (d) SOP
4.	At which stage of soft tissue healing is collagen laid down throughout the structure and reorganises to form scar tissue? (a) Stage one (b) Stage two (c) Stage three (d) Stage four
5.	Which of the following is NOT a contraindication for hydrotherapy? (a) Water phobia (b) Infected wounds (c) Recent surgery (d) Pyrexia
6.	A “typical” CCL patient has a one-in-three chance of subsequently suffering CCL injury in the contralateral leg within eight months of the first. (a) True (b) False
7.	The relationship between the patient’s mass and volume to that of an equal body of water is: (a) Relative density (b) Specific gravity (c) Buoyancy (d) Hydrostatic pressure
8.	It is a legal requirement to hold a hydrotherapy qualification to deliver the therapy (a) True (b) False

For the answers to the MCQs, please go to: https://www.bvna.org.uk/publications/veterinary-nursing-journal

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sairéad Wild

Sairéad Wild BSc (Hons), RVN

Sairéad graduated from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge in 2016, with a first-class BSc (Hons) in Veterinary Nursing with Applied Animal Behaviour. She currently works at the Old Golfhouse Veterinary Group in Watton, Norfolk, and has a special interest in infection control.