Observational Study on Lameness Recovery in 10 Dogs Affected by Iliopsoas Injury and Submitted to a Physiotherapeutic Approach

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Acute trauma of the iliopsoas muscle is often observed in sports and very active dogs. Nevertheless, the diagnosis is not always correctly addressed and can be underestimated during a clinical visit because it is generally secondary to other orthopedic and neurological issues. However, a correct diagnosis can lead to complete recovery of lameness in dogs who submit to physiotherapy. This paper has investigated, in a preliminary observational study, the recovery time for dogs affected by primary iliopsoas lesions and their return to normal activity. ABSTRACT: This preliminary study has investigated the outcome of physiotherapy in 10 dogs affected by a primary lesion of the iliopsoas muscle and the potential effects of sex, age, and breed on recovery. Ten dogs with primary injury of the iliopsoas muscle were retrospectively included in this study. Dogs were submitted to a rehabilitation program, characterized by a multimodal approach, including physical therapies and modalities. After recovery, patients were submitted to a further support period of rehabilitation to promote muscle strengthening and limit injury recurrence during their return to normal functional and sports activity. Border collies were highly represented. The recovery of lameness occurred after a mean of 22.6 ± 14.7 (median 18) days with a median number of five sessions. None of the examined variables affected the recovery time, except for the border collie breed, which showed a significantly faster recovery time; however, there was no difference between the breeds with regard to the number of sessions. Multimodal rehabilitation therapy may promote lameness recovery of mild-to-moderate iliopsoas lesions within 3 weeks. This preliminary study reports a clinical approach and recovery of primary iliopsoas lesions, findings that can provide clinicians with useful prognostic information for dogs involved in sports activities.