Canine Physical Therapy - Techniques - Strengthening Exercises

Strengthening Exercises

These exercises include uphill and downhill walking, stairs, standing on 2 or 3 legs, ramps, and sit-to-stands. Uphill and downhill walking are effective physical therapy techniques for increasing flexion of the hip joint. This is a good technique for stretching the hip joint and increasing range of motion in dogs with hip dysplasia and degenerative joint disease. Walking up and down stairs forces an animal's weight to shift fully onto its front or hind legs and builds muscle in the shoulders and thighs, respectively. A simple but effective strengthening exercise for animals with surgical repairs is to force an animal to place more weight than they would normally on the affected limb by lifting the opposite leg. If the physical therapist is attempting to build muscle in the right hind leg, they lift the left hind leg to shift weight onto the right hind leg. To increase the difficulty of this exercise they lift both the right front and left hind legs. Ramps work similarly to uphill and downhill walking. The angle of the ramp can be altered to increase or decrease difficulty. Sit-to-stands work similarly to squats in humans. The animal is asked to sit square on its haunches and is then encouraged to push off its hind legs to stand up. This exercise increases strength in the thigh and stifle joint of an animal.