Zack is an older gentleman, approximately 11 year old, who started physiotherapy at the start of June, 4 weeks after having a femoral head and neck excision (FHNE) to remove his left hip which was badly damaged, and (only) 2 weeks after being adopted by his owners. What a month for him!
Zack first presented at the clinic on three legs; he wouldn't use his left hind limb at all, even when standing. He had severe muscle wastage on his left hind limb and very restricted movement. He also had a lot of muscle tightness in his lower back and inner thigh muscles.
During June and July Zack had weekly physiotherapy sessions. These sessions involved a combination of therapeutic ultrasound, red photobiomodulation (LASER) therapy, soft tissue massage and passive limb stretches to improve Zacks muscle tone and limb flexibility. We also incorporated hydrotherapy treadmill to work on building up muscle mass and strength, and to encourage Zack to use his left hind limb correctly.
Zack has really impressed us with his progress and character. He has taken the entire rehab program in his stride and has come on in leaps and bounds, both in his confidence and in his ability to walk on his left hind limb. He is now maintaining a more normal muscle tone, he is using his left hind limb much more normally and is slowly building up the muscle he lost.
Zack is continuing to come for a therapy session once a fortnight to maintain the improvements he has made, and further improve his muscle mass, strength and stamina.
You can check out Zacks progress in the following video on our YouTube channel:
Well done Zack. You're a super star.