The procedure
The arthroscopy was to clean out calcification of the biceps tendon and investigate any other potential shoulder ligament damage. His operation was carried out at West Midlands referrals and the surgeon 'Magic' explained in detail what he intended to do and why. He also explained that the prognosis for a full recovery for this procedure is very good. I had the additional bonus of seeing the whole procedure (on video) when I collected Jaidi, as I also do some post op rehabilitation work for the referral centre.
Why?
At this stage Jaidi had shown little sign of lameness and continued to work (in fact having one of his best years in Agility in 2017). Due to understanding my dogs natural range-of-movement (ROM) very well, I was able to raise the issue before it become painful and perhaps have caught it before irreparable damage such as DJD (osteoarthritis) set in.
This underpins so much of why I choose to study animal physiotherapy some years ago. As we know, Agility dogs are athletes and prone to injury (occupational hazard). Also, for anyone who reads up on 'Agility injuries' bicipital tenosynovitis is not uncommon. Getting to this diagnosis is a testament to understanding canine range-of-movements (ROM) and also having our first-line veterinary, Emma at Star clinic, also being a physiotherapist. Doing Jaidi's routine MOT, I wasn't happy with his shoulder flexion on right hand side. Our vet concurred and we agreed an X-ray and palpation under sedation
The result was visible calcification in the shoulder joint, which can be seen on the image on the right in the joint between head of the humerus and the bottom of the shoulder blade. The arthroscopy also revealed a partial tear in the medial glenohumeral. The latter I will work with during Jaidi's operation rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation
Now the road to recovery starts. We started as soon as Jaidi was home with cryo and pulsed magnetic field therapy with the aim of reducing swelling and pain.
Tomorrow we will begin passive ROM exercises and controlled walking. These will help prevent muscle atrophy and tension (due to restricted limb use).
