Physiotherapy in dogs with hip osteoarthritis – effects on pain, muscle and lameness: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a physiotherapy programme in dogs with hip osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: 20 dogs with hip OA were included in the four-weeks study. The dogs were randomly divided into two groups as physiotherapy group (PTG) and control group (CG). Hyaluronic acid (HA) was injected into the hip joint of dogs in PTG and CG. The physiotherapy programme in PTG consisted of massage, electrophysical modalities and exercises. Primer assessments were pain intensity, muscle mass and lameness scores. Pain assessment was performed with Simple Pain Rating Score (0-4). Muscle mass was measured by thigh circumference measurement and lameness was measured by scoring system (0-5). Results: At the end of the study, pain intensity (p=0.006) and lameness scores (p=0.005, p=0.006) were decreased and muscle mass was increased in the PTG (p=0.012). In addition, between group comparisons showed that all changes were statistically improved in the PTG compared to the CG (p=0.042, p=0.010, p=0.028, p=0.015). Conclusion: We think that the “HA + physiotherapy” programme used in our study is more effective than “HA alone” in reducing pain and increasing muscle mass. Therefore, we can say that physiotherapy programmes are beneficial and safe in the treatment of dogs with OA. Physiotherapy programmes can be used to prevent the development of muscle atrophy and lameness, especially from the early stages of the disease. © 2024 Turkish Physiotherapy Association. All rights reserved.