21/05/2022
Die Antwort darauf wie der Erfolg ausfallen wird wenn du konsequentes Training machst. Vielen Dank für diesen Beitrag. Ich hätte es nicht besser verfassen können. 🙏
The answer……YOU!
I can definitely tell which of my clients do their homework exercises and which ones don’t.
The dog’s with owners that have followed their prescribed exercises often have better or faster results than those that don’t. That’s probably not a surprise to you.
This is where I can be honest and put my hand up 🙋🏼♀️ and admit to being awful at doing exercises given to me by my own physio! I do them for a week or two but then life gets in the way and I forget or I prioritise something else.
Consistency is key. If improving strength is your dog’s goal for example, but you only do the exercises once a week, you’re not going to see the same results as a dog who does the exercises daily, or even every other day.
Rehab takes time and it’s very rarely a linear journey. It can be easy to become complacent with exercises or frustrated when you aren’t seeing the results as quickly as you expected. Sometimes your dog may even seem to get worse for a period or reinjure themselves.
However, it’s also super rewarding when we see progress- your dog is using their bad leg more, their proprioceptive deficits are improving, the difference in hind limb muscle mass is improving etc.
Celebrate the little wins and use them to spur you on to continue the good work and reach those end goals.
As a physio I can see a dog weekly and perform massage, joint mobilisations, laser therapy etc. and make an immediate difference but if the work isn’t continued at home by the owner, long term progress will be slow.
I would say that 25% of your dog’s rehab success is down to your vet, physio etc. and 75% is you!
*Having said that, there are of course the cases where we don’t expect an improvement, such as with degenerative myelopathy or cancers, but we can support these dogs and our plans are more about maintenance. This post isn’t really about these dogs.
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