Front Matter

Chapter 22 The Role of Acupuncture and Manipulative Therapy in Canine Rehabilitation 549

muscle groups (Figure  22.3). Points located in
areas with smaller muscles, such as the elbows,
feet, and face are less well tolerated by the
canine patient (Figure  22.4). Most veterinary
acupuncturists select the commonly used

acupuncture points for individual conditions

(Table  22.1) as these points are easy to locate

(Table  22.2) and are well tolerated by animal

patients (Xie & Preast, 2007).

Integrating acupuncture into sports

medicine and rehabilitation therapy

Acupuncture has many applications in sports

medicine practice including its use for perfor-

mance and endurance enhancement, as well

as  treating conditions to which canine athletes

are prone such as muscle spasms, trigger points,

osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc disease, and

nerve damage. Acupuncture improves endur-

ance and physical performance, and helps to

regulate heart rate and blood pressure (Ehrlich &

Haber, 1992). Treatment is typically performed

Figure 22.3 Acupuncture points along the back and
hips, as shown here, and in other large muscle groups
are well tolerated.

Figure 22.4 Dog tolerating acupuncture in the very
sensitive, highly innervated areas adjacent to the eyes.

Table 22.1 Acupuncture points for specific conditions

Clinical

condition Acupuncture point selection

General pain LIV-3, GB-34, BL-60, SI-9

Hip pain BL-54, GB-29, GB-30, Jian-jiao,

BL-40, BL-23, LIV-3

Stifle pain ST-36, GB-33, GB-34, SP-9,

SP-10, BL-40, LIV-3

Hock pain BL-60, KID-3, ST-41, KID-6, LIV-3

Shoulder pain LI-15, TH-14, SI-9, LU-1

Elbow pain LI-10, LI-11, LU-5, HT-3, PC-3

Carpal pain HT-7, LU-7, LU-9, TH-4, PC-7

Intervertebral

disc disease

(IVDD)

Local, cranial, and caudal BL

points to the site of IVDD,

KID-1, Liu-feng

Wobbler’s

syndrome

Jing-jia-ji, LI-4, SI-16, SI-3

Degenerative

myelopathy

ST-36, LI-10, BL-23, Bai-hui,

BL-54, BL-40, KID-1, Liu-feng

Vestibular

disease

GB-20, GB-21, GV-20, TH-21,

SI-19, GB-2, An-shen

Urinary

incontinence

BL-39, KID-3, KID-6, SP-6, CV-1

Fecal

incontinence

GV-1, BL-25, ST-36, ST-37, LI-10

Appetite

stimulation

BL-20, BL-21, Shan-gen, Jian-wei

Source: Xie & Preast (2007)