Rehabilitation for Dogs with Cruciate Ligament Rupture 351Chronic cranial weight shifts are managed by
assessing their potential source and, once these
sources are controlled, by developing exercises
that promote correct weight distribution. Exer-
cises may include walking on a land or in an
underwater treadmill, walking on soft or irreg-
ular surfaces, and balance exercises. Proactive
rehabilitation is preferable to targeted rehabil-
itation; it has a lower overall cost, progress is
more predictable, and may lead to a more sat-
isfactory outcome.
Future research
Additional research is needed to identify the
best rehabilitation strategies that will optimize
long-term outcomes for patients with CR man-
aged either conservatively or with surgery.
The identification of muscle activity patterns,
and the influence of neuromuscular therapeu-
tic exercises on these patterns, will assist in the
development of improved rehabilitation pro-
grams. Future studies are also needed to deter-
mine the benefits of stifle braces. While studies
in humans have shown there to be no added
benefit from a knee brace in patients after ante-
rior cruciate ligament reconstruction (Anderson
et al. 2016), the benefits of stifle braces in dogs
are unknown.
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