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. 2023 Nov 9;13(22):3456.
doi: 10.3390/ani13223456.

Long-Term Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Hind Limb Muscles, Gait and Pain in Lame Dogs with Borderline-to-Severe Hip Dysplasia-A Pilot Study

Mayara Viana Freire Gomes  1 , Sheila Canevese Rahal  1 , Ivan Felismino Charas Dos Santos  1 , Carmel Rezende Dadalto  1 , Maria Jaqueline Mamprim  1 , Roberta Rocha Negrão  2 , Joel Mesa Hormaza  2 , Miriam Harumi Tsunemi  3 , Constanza B Gómez Álvarez  4   5
Affiliations

Long-Term Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Hind Limb Muscles, Gait and Pain in Lame Dogs with Borderline-to-Severe Hip Dysplasia-A Pilot Study

Mayara Viana Freire Gomes et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) on hind limb muscles, gait and pain in lame dogs with borderline-to-severe hip dysplasia. Ten lame client-owned dogs with borderline-to-severe hip dysplasia, aged from 1.5 to 9.0 years and weighing 14.5 to 53.0 kg, were enrolled. The WBV training program consisted of 15 min sessions three times weekly for 16 weeks. Muscles of the hind limbs were evaluated using measurements of thigh circumference, the cross-sectional thickness of selected hind limb muscles by ultrasound assessment, and vastus lateralis muscle activity determined by surface electromyography (EMG). Lameness and clinical signs of pain were assessed by visual lameness scoring, orthopedic examination and an owner-based questionnaire. Kinetic analysis was performed by using a pressure-sensitive walkway. Manual thigh circumference measurements of both hind limbs showed significant increases over the trial period with a greater degree of change observed after week 8. Ultrasound measurements of the left gluteal muscles and the quadriceps femoris muscles of both hind limbs showed significant increases in the cross-section thickness post WBV. Owner's perception of pain also showed a decrease in signs of pain at week 12 and week 16 compared to baseline. Based on graphs of the EMG activity patterns of the vastus lateralis muscle, 65% of the hind limbs had an improvement after 48 WBV sessions when compared to pre-session patterns. However, no significant differences were observed in visual lameness evaluation and kinetic analysis. Therefore, further studies will help to better clarify the role of WBV in canine rehabilitation protocols.

Keywords: canine lameness; hip dysplasia; muscle atrophy; whole-body vibration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box plot of the pain scores obtained by a questionnaire completed by owners before the Whole-Body Vibration (week 0), and 4, 8, 12 and at 16 weeks of Whole-Body Vibration in 10 lame dogs with borderline to severe hip dysplasia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Box plot of the manual thigh circumference measurements (cm) in left hind limb (LH) and right hind limb (RH) obtained before (week 0), and at 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks of Whole-Body Vibration in 10 lame dogs with borderline to severe hip dysplasia. Asterisk (*) indicates significant difference (p < 0.05) among evaluation time points.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ultrasound images of the gluteal muscles, obtained in the caudal region of the left hind limb of a dog with hip dysplasia, before (A) the Whole-Body Vibration (week 0) and (B) at week 16 of Whole-Body Vibration. Observe the increase in muscle thickness at week 16 (B).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Surface EMG signs of muscle activity of the vastus lateralis muscle ((a) left hind limb; (b) right hind limb) during stance phase and swing phase in a dog (no. 4) with hip dysplasia, before (t1) and at weeks 8 (t2) and 16 (t3) of Whole-Body Vibration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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