Each day I treat many pets for limping, arthritis, and injuries, in addition to post-surgical care which require rehabilitation and physical therapy. Many patients have remarkable improvement after just a few visits, but the amount of improvement can be difficult for owners and veterinary staff to quantify. Animal chiropractic adjustments, therapeutic massage, acupuncture and joint supplements can speed healing and the return to normal function; when that progress is slow or subtle, it can be hard to tell if therapy is working.
When pets visit my office with recurrent injuries or lamenesses which don't resolve within an expected period of time, I recommend they spend a few minutes on our stance analyzer.
Stance analyzers are relatively new to veterinary private practice; vets who use them have taken extensive post graduate courses in physical therapy.
The value of using a stance analyzer is that we can measure the amount of pressure or weight a pet is applying to each limb while standing. The quick test is a noninvasive and less subjective way to diagnose pet lameness. Additionally, it shows owners numbers which can make subtle lamenesses easier to pinpoint. Both owners and the vet staff can determine the pet's center of gravity, as well as which limbs are carrying too much pressure to compensate for an injury. The injured limb and all areas of compensation need to be treated for long term success.
I frequently use stance analysis when I start working with a patient to help create the pet's prescribed physical therapy, in-office and in-home exercises, therapeutic massage and underwater treadmill treatment plans. A pet's improvement and progress can then be monitored with pre and post-treatment analysis reports.