Posture and postural dysfunction in dogs: Implications for veterinary physiotherapy

Hannah E Michael; Catherine M McGowan; Heli K Hyytiäinen

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106107

Posture and postural dysfunction in dogs: Implications for veterinary physiotherapy

Vet J. 2024 Apr 3:305:106107. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106107. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hannah E Michael¹, Catherine M McGowan², Heli K Hyytiäinen³

Affiliations

¹ Torrington Orthopaedics, Brighouse, UK.
² Department of Equine Clinical Science, School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
³ Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: heli.hyytiainen@helsinki.fi.

PMID: 38575053
DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106107

Abstract

Postural assessment is an important part of the veterinary evaluation of a dog's neuromusculoskeletal function. It forms an important part of the clinical examination by physiotherapists and specialists in veterinary rehabilitation and sports medicine and is well researched in humans, which has allowed treatment approaches to be developed and validated. This narrative review aims to complement the veterinary literature, which largely quantifies the impact of various conditions on posture, by synthesising the physiotherapy literature, to help translate the use of postural assessment as a basis for the development and validation of treatment techniques to improve outcomes in dogs.

Keywords: Alignment; Canine; Centre of Pressure; Postural control.

Publication types

Review