54 replies to this topic

[scullywags]

Diagnosed with Illiopoas Muscle pulled and or strained
has anyone gone thru this rehab?

Laser,Accupunture & B12 shots injected on Monday
Next Monday we have appointment with specialist for Ultrasound to determine the severity
at this point looks like 16 weeks of treatment and rest and then set up the proper exercise regime
for fitness.Right now hes on strict confinement and leash breaks for the bathroom no extensive walking jumping or activity.

Being told we should be able to go back to his sports activity but it may be on lower scale
because his behavior will be modified and this may occur again as we decided his first injury last year
was most likely the same and it was not diagnosed or treated with anything but rest anc chiro.

So I am rather upset with myself for not getting him the proper treament 1st time but who knew if the vet does not and they tell you oh its nothign just rest him ! So this time I just knew he seemed off and pursued looking for a vet that does this kind of diagnosis and rehab.

[Rave]

I don't know anything personally about it, but it seems to be the #1 thing now diagnosed in sport dogs, so a post to any agility list will likely yield you many responses.

Good article here by one of the top sports rehab vets: http://www.vetsports...byistOwner.html

[scullywags]

I don't know anything personally about it, but it seems to be the #1 thing now diagnosed in sport dogs, so a post to any agility list will likely yield you many responses.

Good article here by one of the top sports rehab vets: http://www.vetsports...byistOwner.html

Thanks that was 1 of the printouts they gave me at the clinic
I guess I am just looking for someone to say oh he will be fine and back to his old self after this is over and his agility career is also not over
but from what I read it does not always turn out that way I am going to follow them to the T but just the 1st day him looking at me like mom why what did I do why can I not go out and be ridiculous

[PSmitty]

My friend's BC suffered this same injury last year. I don't know the exact treatment plan she used, but after initial crate rest, he spent about 5 months on limited activity, meaning no agility, no herding, no roughousing, nothing active at all. I believe he had cold laser treatments, and then massage therapy. He is now completely recovered. He made his return to agility in late December, and I just saw him run agility this last weekend and he's doing great. So, if he's any indication, no, it doesn't mean your dog's agility career is over.

Best of luck to you and your dog!

PS. Don't feel bad about not catching it earlier. It took my friend a long time to get a proper diagnosis, too.

[gcv-border]

Don't be too depressed. Yes, a LOT of sports dogs (agility, frisbee and even herding) have been diagnosed with iliopsoas strains, and most likely, there are more out there with undiagnosed iliopsoas issues. One vet told me that she believes that some of the agility dogs that drop bars frequently are the result of iliopsoas strains, but that the owners keep running them anyway because they think that it is a training issue.

My dog had one at 15 months old. We did the rehab and the exercises for 3-4 months and then did limited exercise (low jumps, no running downhill) for another couple of months. He has been fine since then and has not had a recurrence. And he is a maniac on the agility course. He has not slowed down at all.

I continue to have him do some of the exercises a couple of times a week. Another vet told me that an iliopsoas pull is the "injury that keeps on giving". What she meant by that is that many owners do not rest their dogs long enough to really heal the injury. They may rest their dog for 2-3 weeks until the dog stops limping, then go back to normal activity and the dog may strain it again a short time later.

So my advice is to follow your vet's advice and do not short cut the rehab and rest period. Longer is better. And I bet that he can do agility again. I know of several dogs that have been through this (and I am sure there are many more out there) and come back to agility.

P.S. Don't beat yourself up about missing it the first time if you consulted a general vet. I know I sound like a broken record, but general vets often either miss, or misdiagnose, common sports injuries, and that is why I always recommend consulting with an ortho or rehab vet. In my case, my general vet was ready to cut into his hock joint to repair 'the problem' when the problem was 'only' a strained iliopsoas. Thank doG for second opinions.

Good Luck,
Jovi

[CLW1]

I've got a dog that has injured his on both sides. I was lazy in the first rehab and it took way longer than it should have. I did it right the 2nd time (less serious pull). Carefully rehab and your dog will be fine and back to agility. Mine was both times. I think there were some good articles in Clean Run a few years ago about iliopsoas strains.

[scullywags]

Awesome you make me feel much better
I was sent to a vet about 4 hrs away to get this diagnosis they are specilists in ortho
I have to travel back to her Ultrasound person next week and then they will give me protocal
they spent 4 hours with him and I was very confident I had made the right decision and this vet comes from a high referal so thanfully hes in good hands and since I cannot get to them often as will be needed she is going send all the info to my chiro on what to laser where how long ect and then he will go for monthly follow ups so i think will be getting the best care I can give.

She really stressed the fact enough peoeple do not warm up these dogs or cool them correctly. I am not sure about the 1st time this happened I do know how it did this time and I can say its going to be an expensive lesson in doggie fitness.

I went with my gut I kept saying this dog is off and nobody acted like it was a big deal and of course in BC style he was giving it all he had but I know my dogs and knew he was not using that hind leg right and this here and there lameness was a sign even my chiro/dvm was not picking up on but in her defense she does not specialize in dogs sports medicine.

So what fun
Did you keep yours crated all day?
Thats what she wants until next Mondays ultra sound . He is getting a laser treatment thursday and they do some other type of healing ultrasound machine noth the same as the diagnostic one.

[Carson Crazies]

My open sheepdog had this injury (in that general vicinity - never were 100% sure without an MRI). He was out of commission for something like 4 months or so. We did a very strict regimine of rest, anti-inflammatories, stretches, and rehab. The rehab was very structured and intensive, as were the stretches. He's not shown me a lame step since, and was back and better than ever afterwards.

After the original injury it was rather hard to pinpoint. He was just ever so slightly off, and just vaguely short-striding on that leg.

One of the things that changed about the way I work this particular dog is that I always warm him up some (it doesn't take much... he warms himself up just being himself), and cool him down better than before.

[Carson Crazies]

Did you keep yours crated all day?
Thats what she wants until next Mondays ultra sound . He is getting a laser treatment thursday and they do some other type of healing ultrasound machine noth the same as the diagnostic one.

Some say to not - that it stoves them up. However, in the case of my particular dog he would just sort of randomly jump up or do various weird things that made me HAVE to crate him. Even on a leash I'd somehow find him launching himself up into the air. Sigh.

Also, not to freak you out, but it's been years since Nick had the injury and I still find myself watching his gait. I'm spastic like that. It's how I roll.

[scullywags]

Some say to not - that it stoves them up. However, in the case of my particular dog he would just sort of randomly jump up or do various weird things that made me HAVE to crate him. Even on a leash I'd somehow find him launching himself up into the air. Sigh.

Also, not to freak you out, but it's been years since Nick had the injury and I still find myself watching his gait. I'm spastic like that. It's how I roll.

That is not freaking me out I am the same way
I have a horse that suffered a severe injury was never supposed to be back doing what he does (hes a reining horse) and I did everything under sun to get him well but 3 yrs later I still "look" and think
oh hes off but knock on wood hes held up but I am strict on his fitness and stuff so I am prepared.

[Dana Nichols]

I had this injury on an older dog (11) who was wrestling with another dog. She was competing in flyball. I took her to an ortho for the original diagnosis. The ortho said the only way she'd compete again was if she went through extensive rehab. I took her to a canine sports rehab facility and did weekly appointments with her with laser treatment, massage, and stretching exercises. I followed their advice completely. She made good progress and we moved into slow underwater treadmill work and eventually on to conditioning type work with low jumps. She was injured in November and ran her first tournament part-time in April. We took it slow, but she came back 100%.

The ortho vet and the rehab vet told me that with this kind of injury, it's really important to take it really, really slow. Even when the dog seems to be better, they can very easily reinjure themselves. They told me 6 months was a fairly reasonable time frame to expect them to be laid off from work or competition.

You were asking about crate rest. I remember that I had to let her out on leash for quite a while. Mainly it was to make sure she didn't reinjure herself.

Good luck! : )

[scullywags]

I had this injury on an older dog (11) who was wrestling with another dog. She was competing in flyball. I took her to an ortho for the original diagnosis. The ortho said the only way she'd compete again was if she went through extensive rehab. I took her to a canine sports rehab facility and did weekly appointments with her with laser treatment, massage, and stretching exercises. I followed their advice completely. She made good progress and we moved into slow underwater treadmill work and eventually on to conditioning type work with low jumps. She was injured in November and ran her first tournament part-time in April. We took it slow, but she came back 100%.

The ortho vet and the rehab vet told me that with this kind of injury, it's really important to take it really, really slow. Even when the dog seems to be better, they can very easily reinjure themselves. They told me 6 months was a fairly reasonable time frame to expect them to be laid off from work or competition.

You were asking about crate rest. I remember that I had to let her out on leash for quite a while. Mainly it was to make sure she didn't reinjure herself.

Good luck! : )

Thanks if we can go back to training and competing and it takes a year I am ok with that I am just not able to second mortgage the house to do it but main concern is his health so I will do all I can she did say that was what happens people think its better and go back way too soon so I will follow the criteria
Glad yours is healed up and running again kudos to you for doing all the rehab and following directions I am sure this will not be easy time mentally for him but will do our best so hes back and able to live life painfree.

[scullywags]

Thanks if we can go back to training and competing and it takes a year I am ok with that I am just not able to second mortgage the house to do it but main concern is his health so I will do all I can she did say that was what happens people think its better and go back way too soon so I will follow the criteria
Glad yours is healed up and running again kudos to you for doing all the rehab and following directions I am sure this will not be easy time mentally for him but will do our best so hes back and able to live life painfree.

You know I have really been obcessing over this and of late in our training hes been not so focused and things I wonder if he was hurting and that was the cause either way his may be a blessing in disguse as his brain needs time to mature so possibly this might be for a reason
I know this I am making it a priority to learn more on canine fitness and spread to my friends the importance of good warm up and cool down.
We did not have bar knocking issues and him still being green I did not get the signs that he was in pain like these articles say to loong for.

Ok will zip it thank you again for the responses I feel better than I did having others in this boat and come out on the brighter side

[Dana Nichols]

It wasn't cheap, but as far as injuries go, this was much cheaper than, say, a surgical cruciate repair. I was able to save some money by buying a packet of rehab appointments - we went weekly for about 8 weeks, then 2x month for an additional month. I didn't actually do follow up appointments with the ortho vet. The rehab vet sent them progress updates. Each week the rehab vet would give me things to work on at home. My local vet had an underwater treadmill so I did a packet of short sessions with them once she was ready. Then I transitioned to a regular treadmill I had at home once she was ready for more weight bearing.

Overall, I think the stretching exercises I got from the rehab vet and her assessment each week was the most valuable for the money. We could have done other exercise rather than the underwater treadmill if cost is a factor (I got a pretty good deal from my local vet). There were a few weeks where we had started some light exercise (UW treadmill walking for short time) and I thought she'd done fine, but the rehab vet said the muscle was really tight when she examined her. We'd back off and add some additional stretching exercises. I think like most folks have said here that it's easy to think the dog has healed when they really haven't from this kind of injury.

I think I moved an extra exercise pen into the living room and let her be in there. It gave her a little more room than a crate, but didn't let her do anything that would re-injure herself. But, if your dog jumps up on a pen, etc. you'll probably be better off with him in a crate so he's not standing on his hind legs. You can give him a bigger crate so he's a bit more comfortable. It sucks, but it sucks worse to have a dog who never completely heals from the injury.

[Carson Crazies]

Another thing I'd like to point out is that unless you're the obsessive hypervigilant type (takes one to know one ) you need to really stand on your own toes and make yourself rest the dog. Sometimes people come to me to talk about soft tissue injuries and they say they've rested the dog (but it's not better yet). But often their idea of rest and my idea of rest are in two totally different categories.

Like Dana says it's important to take it slow - probably even slower than you think. You have nothing to gain by rushing the process.

[scullywags]

Another thing I'd like to point out is that unless you're the obsessive hypervigilant type (takes one to know one ) you need to really stand on your own toes and make yourself rest the dog. Sometimes people come to me to talk about soft tissue injuries and they say they've rested the dog (but it's not better yet). But often their idea of rest and my idea of rest are in two totally different categories.

Like Dana says it's important to take it slow - probably even slower than you think. You have nothing to gain by rushing the process.

Laura I see u r in GSBO I am in Lexington NC
may I ask what vets you used for your dog
I went to Dr Gilinski in Aiken but theres noway I can get to her consistanlty as I have to work and its almost 8round trip...My chiro has laser and ultrasound but she was honest to say she had not treated this injury as her main practice is equine we are meeting in the am to talk more I still have the ultrasound with Dr Gilles on Monday but they are talking like 3 days a week or more for laser

As for the rest hes on short leash for the bathroom and has extra large crate for daytime I have let him be tied to the kitchen door so he can be with us while he lays on the floor we have flipped over the couch and chair in living room so if he does get of the lead he cannot jump onto anything luckily my husband is being kind however its only day 2 and he keeps saying how are you going to keep him from losing it for 4 months maybe longer

Is this enough for rest or should not have out of crate at all except bathroom breaks

[emilyfalk]

Just wanted to share my experience which seems different from those above. I found this in one of my own sheepdogs when she was 1.5yo. Since it's too hard to think straight when it's one of your own, I took her to Univ of TN where a rehab vet confirmed a very minor strain. Dr. Drum has some of the best hands I've ever seen and I've been quite impressed with their rehab department. In Liv's case, only the psoas was injured, so, not the "entire" muscle. Dr. Drum showed me some exercises, told me to avoid swimming, and gave her the green light to go back to work in short sessions. Didn't even advise a course of rest, though I'd already done a not-nearly-as-strict-as-Laura (LOL) period of 2 weeks off from work.

A good friend's older trial dog suffered from this in the fall, and she was brought back over an 8 week period. The exercises prescribed were very minimal but did include occasional laser therapy.

Another friend had an injured trial dog that underwent extensive PT to bring her back.

My understanding is that there are many different protocols for treating this injury. I've heard from several people who think that it is secondary/compensatory in nature...that there is some underlying imbalance, misalignment, or weakness. In Liv's case, she's always been a string-bean and a bit undermuscled in general. At Dr. Drum's suggestion, I've tried to bulk her up a bit.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Muscle injuries can be very tricky and I'd agree with the advise to go slowly. But I would also take into account the severity, underlying cause, and any concurrent injuries. Good luck!

[gcv-border]

[quote name='scullywags' timestamp='1328750600' post='411897']
Laura I see u r in GSBO I am in Lexington NC
may I ask what vets you used for your dog
I went to Dr Gilinski in Aiken but theres noway I can get to her consistanlty as I have to work and its almost 8round trip...My chiro has laser and ultrasound but she was honest to say she had not treated this injury as her main practice is equine we are meeting in the am to talk more I still have the ultrasound with Dr Gilles on Monday but they are talking like 3 days a week or more for laser
/quote]

I would check the vet school at NC State to see if they have the treatments and expertise you need. And make sure that they will work with Dr. Gilinski (i.e. that they will follow her instructions)

Jovi

[Carson Crazies]

Laura I see u r in GSBO I am in Lexington NC
may I ask what vets you used for your dog
I went to Dr Gilinski in Aiken but theres noway I can get to her consistanlty as I have to work and its almost 8round trip...My chiro has laser and ultrasound but she was honest to say she had not treated this injury as her main practice is equine we are meeting in the am to talk more I still have the ultrasound with Dr Gilles on Monday but they are talking like 3 days a week or more for laser

I go to Dr. Harvey Goho in Jamestown, NC, Total Care Veterinary. He's a general vet, but has an interest in Ortho. He was the vet on the Iditarod for several years (he is all kinds of awesome and we mesh on vaccine protocols and everything - I heart him). He is an Ortho guy but people from all around go to him for rehab plans.

That being said, he preferred to NOT go total rest with Nick, but Nick made it necessary that we approach things that way. We did not do laser or water therapy. Part of Nick's rehab involved getting him back to speed physically to compensate from the rest. We were pleasantly surprised to see that he didn't lose noticeable muscle mass while laid up, but we still approached things carefully. Once we had him worked back up then we used light work as part of his therapy plan to recondition him.

That being said, it was hard to pinpoint which muscle was injured by the time I got to Dr. Goho (long story). The best he could do without an MRI was narrow it down to that area.

[scullywags]

I go to Dr. Harvey Goho in Jamestown, NC, Total Care Veterinary. He's a general vet, but has an interest in Ortho. He was the vet on the Iditarod for several years (he is all kinds of awesome and we mesh on vaccine protocols and everything - I heart him). He is an Ortho guy but people from all around go to him for rehab plans.

That being said, he preferred to NOT go total rest with Nick, but Nick made it necessary that we approach things that way. We did not do laser or water therapy. Part of Nick's rehab involved getting him back to speed physically to compensate from the rest. We were pleasantly surprised to see that he didn't lose noticeable muscle mass while laid up, but we still approached things carefully. Once we had him worked back up then we used light work as part of his therapy plan to recondition him.

That being said, it was hard to pinpoint which muscle was injured by the time I got to Dr. Goho (long story). The best he could do without an MRI was narrow it down to that area.

Thanks for the info I am not sure what exactly the plan is yet shes waiting on the Ultrasound to measure severity till next Monday hes in the crate but the idea of xpen in the lV good idea if he stays quiet I think the atrophy may be issue but i am to do short 2-3 minute walks 8 times per day right now so thats 16 to 24 minutes walking that should help the chiro lazer dvm is coming to the farm today so she plans to work on him some today he seems pretty roached in the back this am