474 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
deficits) (Figure 18.15). Simple items can be
used for home therapy cavalettis such as
broom sticks, downspouts, or serpentined gar
den hose, while softer foam poles may prevent
tripping in a weak patient that scuffs its feet or
drags its toes.
Geriatric patients often have difficulty main
taining traction when trying to stand and/or
walk. They may experience pelvic limbs sud
denly abducting or slipping caudally. Backward
walking can help strengthen the hamstring mus
cles, especially the biceps femoris, as well as the
gluteal muscles, and side‐stepping can address
weak adductor muscles such as the pectineus,
especially in patients with pelvic limb weakness
secondary to neurological conditions or DJD.
Exercises such as rocker board and weaving
around cones improve balance and lateral
stability for patients that are prone to falling.
Focusing on abdominal muscle strength with
core exercises such as crunches, side sit‐ups,
tummy tickles, cookie stretches, and leg lifts is
helpful in improving topline and maintaining
best possible posture, especially in lordotic
patients. Carefully supported leg lift exercises,
beginning with the therapist lifting just one of
the patient’s legs and progressing to diagonal
leg lifts if possible, can help to improve balance
and core muscle strength. It is extremely impor
tant to provide a geriatric patient adequate
breaks and rest periods during exercise ses
sions (Figure 18.16).Figure 18.14 Seated trunk extensions help to improve posture and topline, engaging the core muscles and helping the
dog to position itself correctly to extend the pelvic limbs, transitioning from sit to stand.
Figure 18.15 Cavaletti exercises can improve balance and proprioception in geriatric patients with weakness in the
muscles of posture and locomotion as well as core muscles, such as the iliopsoas, abdominals, and paraspinals.