Posts Tagged ‘Degenerative Disc Disease’
Oh, My Aching Back!
Like humans, our canine friends can suffer back pain. It is especially prevalent in small breeds like Dachshund and Lhasa apso, but bigger breeds like German Shepherds and Great Danes can also suffer. Additionally, dogs that are overweight are more likely to have back problems than their leaner counterparts.
Some back injuries involve nothing more than sore muscles. However, for others, disc injury or degenerative disc disease may be the problem. This can cause extreme pain, lost muscle control, nerve damage and paralysis.
Like man’s, a dog’s spine is made up of small bones called vertebrae. They run from the base of the skull to the end of the tail. Flexible discs made of cartilage provide a cushion between each vertebra. Above the discs and running through the vertebrae is the spinal cord made up of nerve fibers. A disc can weaken with age or trauma, causing a portion of the disc to be pushed out of place, putting pressure on the spinal column.
A dog that has suffered a disc injury will exhibit symptoms such as:
Yelping when handled
Lethargy
Shivering
Whimpering
Poor appetite
Inability to urinate
Clumsiness
Reluctance to climb steps
Walking “drunk”
Unable to move
Paralysis of back legs
To tell the difference between a simple sore muscle and disc injury, check your pet’s “placing response.” While supporting him with one hand under his belly, flip one of his hind feet so that the top of his paw is touching the ground. He should quickly place the foot right side up when you let go. If he doesn’t, he could have nerve problems. Even if he passes the test, if pain lasts more than a day or two, consult your vet. Nerve problems don’t always show up right away.
Your vet will perform diagnostic tests to differentiate disc disease from other illnesses that may cause similar symptoms. A neurological assessment could include applying gentle pressure to the spine to localize the pain. He may check to see if only the back legs are affected, or also the front legs and head. A test the toes of the back legs indicates reflex responses and indicators of pain. He may also x-ray your dog’s spine, or obtain a myelogram or CT scan.
Treatment will depend on the severity of the clinical findings. Dogs with milder injuries may be treated with cortisone injections, steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and rest. This helps shrink the herniated disc and swollen tissue and at the same time relieves inflammation that has occurred within the spinal cord. Pain medication may also be prescribed.
Surgical treatment may be recommended if the signs are severe and do not respond to other management trials.
Whether medical, surgical or a combination of the two treatments is used, it may be several weeks before your dog recovers fully. Crate care may be recommended for at least four weeks when undergoing treatment. Rest is essential to allow the disc material to “scar over”. Early return to activity may worsen your dog’s condition. Don’t let him run around the yard or go for long walks.
Don’t be fooled by what appears to be a fast return to normal behavior. Dogs treated with cortisone injections and steroid treatment, may be relieved of their pain, but the injury is still present and caution must be observed.
Don’t allow your dog to jump up or down from objects such as the bed or the groomer’s table.
When lifting your pet, never use the front legs. Instead, use both hands, supporting him from underneath the rib cage and the back legs.
When walking your dog, use a chest harness instead of attaching a leash directly to the collar. Any jerking motion or sudden movement of the head can cause pain and reinjury.
Use a glucosamine and chrondoitin supplement to help speed recovery and strengthen damaged cartilage.
Help your pet keep his weight down. Check by lightly running your hands over his ribcage. If you can count each rib, he’s at a good weight. If all you feel is padding, it’s time to try a sensible weight-loss plan.
90% of all disc problems can be successfully treated with conservative medical management. Don’t hesitate to get your dog to the vet if you suspect a back injury.
Sherry Massey
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/oh-my-aching-back-85837.html
Vertebral Axial Decompression or Vax-d and Their Results
Vertebral axial decompression therapy is a very useful tool for people who have horrible back problems because it is relatively inexpensive and it does not involve surgery. Data was collected from twenty-two medical centers for patients who received VAX-D therapy for low back pain, which was sometimes accompanied by referred leg pain. Only patients who received at least ten sessions and had a diagnosis of herniated disc, degenerative disc, or facet syndrome, which were confirmed by diagnostic imaging, were included in this study.
The data contained the patients’ quantitative assessments of their own pain, mobility, and ability to carry out the usual ‘activities of daily living’. The treatment was successful in 71% of the 778 cases, when success was defined as a reduction in pain to 0 or 1, on a 0 to 5 scale. Improvements in mobility and activities of daily living correlated strongly with pain reduction. The causes of back pain and their relationship to this therapy are also discussed.
Although imaging procedures, including CT and MRI, are able to accurately define structural pathology, the correlation of these anatomic findings with physiology, back pain, and other clinical complaints is imprecise. Although surgical decompression, epidural blocks, and spinal instrumentation can sometimes help patients suffering from back pain, these treatments do not completely take the biomechanical function of the disc into account, and may leave patients unrelieved of their suffering.
Low back pain is aggravated by activities that increase axial loading on the spine, such as sitting, standing, and lifting. Patients may describe some relief with walking, but more particularly, by lying down, which unloads the spine and reduces intradiscal pressure. The causes of mechanical low back pain may include degenerative disc disease, degenerative spondylosis with limitation of range of motion, facet arthropathy, relative lateral recess stenosis from a combination of the above, microenvironment presure changes affecting the thecal and epidural space from disc bulging, subligamentous and/or extruded herniation, and segmental instability.
A number of potential mechanisms are specifically addressed by the lumbar vertebral body separation achieved during therapy. With aging, disc desicction occurs, disc height is lost, and this process is accelerated with activities which produce high physical loading of the lumbar spine. Osteophytes develop along the anterolateral and posterior border of the vertebral bodies, and facet arthropathy increases as degenerative disc change advances . Normal vertebral body separation is lost as the disc degenerates. blood supply to the nerve roots of the cauda equina is sensitive to compression. Even at pressures of only 5-10 mmHg, the flow in over 20% of the venules was completely stopped. Flow in all the capillaries stopped at pressures between 20 and 50 mmHg. A pressure of 30 mmHg is slightly less than one pound per square inch, so solute transport is easily reduced. Even vertebral distractions of 1 or 2 mm per disc would reduce ligamental redundancy and help to restore canal/foraminal patency, reduce venous congestion and increase axoplasmic flow.
For more resource about back pain or even about back pain Chicago and espcially about bulging disc please click these links.
Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/vertebral-axial-decompression-or-vaxd-and-their-results-106783.html
