Certain Exercises Benefit Arthritic Dogs (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) — Certain types of exercise
may help ease stiffness and pain in dogs with arthritis, a new study
suggests.

Using a special treadmill and a computer program, Austrian researchers
examined the movements of joints in the front and back legs of dogs as
they did three types of exercises: walking uphill, walking downhill and
walking over low obstacles.

They concluded that walking downhill doesn’t appear to provide much
benefit but walking uphill and climbing over low obstacles could both help
dogs with arthritis.

Walking uphill may improve the flexibility of affected joints,
particularly of the hip, while walking over low obstacles may improve the
bending of the joints in the front and rear limbs, said the team at the
University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.

Researchers caution that dogs who have recently undergone surgery to
the tibia, but, should probably avoid walking over obstacles since
that could potentially strain the tendon that joins the knee to the
shin.

They added that the exercises don’t require expensive equipment, are
simple and can easily be supervised by dog owners.

“These types of exercises are often recommended to improve the
flexibility of joints in arthritic dogs. Nobody has yet taken the distress
to test whether they work but we are pleased to report that they are of real
benefit to the animals,” researcher Barbara Bockstahler said in a
university news release.

The study appears in the current issue of the American Journal of
Veterinary Research.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases has more about arthritis.