What You Need to Know About Canine Hip Dysplasia

First, what is canine hip dysplasia? Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a developmental disease of the bones in which the head of the thigh bone poorly fits the hip socket, causing damage to the cartilage, gradual destruction of the joint, pain and swelling. This disease should not be confused with hip arthritis. Rather, it is the most common cause of arthritis in the hips. Canine hip dysplasia is one of the most frustrating diseases in veterinary medicine today simply because it is so difficult to prevent and treat.

Second, how is canine hip dysplasia transmitted? CHD cannot be transmitted as it is an inheritable disorder. It is passed on by the parents to the offspring. Therefore, the only effective measure to eliminate the disease is to prevent dogs with hip dysplasia from breeding. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, because not all dogs with hip dysplasia show signs of the disease. Seemingly normal dogs still carry the gene for CHD and are bred, which keeps the disease in the gene pool.

Third, how do you know if a dog has hip dysplasia? A dog with hip dysplasia generally exhibits less energy and activity. These dogs will also have difficulty rising from a sitting position, lameness in the back legs, may hop like a rabbit when running, and are reluctant to go up stairs. However, these symptoms are typically not apparent until a dog reaches middle age. In severe cases, though, some dogs display noticeable hip problems as early as 5-6 months of age.

Fourth, how does a veterinarian confirm if a dog has hip dysplasia?
Regrettably, there is no blood test or genetic test yet that will determine whether a dog is a carrier of CHD or not. Diagnosis of the disease is normally done through physical examinations and x-rays. X-rays help in assessing the extent of the condition and, through comparison with future x-rays, they can also provide a gauge of how well the chosen treatment is working. Here are two techniques for taking x-rays of CHD-afflicted dogs:

1. Hip-extended ventrodorsal view x-ray - Provides a frontal view of the pelvis and hip-joints and best assesses the level of severity of arthritis present.
2. PennHIP radiography technique - Used to identify hip looseness in dogs as young as four months of age.

Fifth, what are the treatment options for canine hip dysplasia? Currently, there is no real cure for CHD, but there are conservative, or non-surgical, ways to alleviate its symptoms. These include the use of drugs to relieve pain and inflammation. Rimadyl, Ectogesic and Deramaxx are effective and have given many suffering dogs the relief necessary to live a normal life. Depending on a dog's physical characteristics, weight loss programs, controlled exercise and physical therapy can also be quite effective.

When conservative treatment is not sufficient, the only other choice is surgery. Surgery can be very effective since it corrects the underlying cause of hip pain (a malformed joint).

When confronted with hip dysplasia, surgery is approached in two different ways. Prophylactic surgery is done to prevent the progression of arthritis while therapeutic surgery aims to treat already arthritic hips.

Triple pelvic osteotomy is the main preventive procedure available. It requires cutting the pelvis in three places and rotating the hip sockets to provide improved coverage. This procedure is effective as long as it is done before arthritis sets in or before the joint is damaged.

Another kind of preventive surgery is pubic symphysiodesis. Still being studied for its effectiveness, pubic symphysiodesis involves manipulating the way the pelvis grows to ensure a tighter hip. This procedure is typically performed on very young dogs.

Therapeutic procedures include total hip replacement and femoral head ostectomy. Total hip replacement is performed primarily on larger dogs. High density, medical plastic is used to replace the socket and a premium, non-corrosive alloy is used for the ball. This procedure has a high success rate, nearly completely eliminates pain, and enables the dog to fully resume activity.

Another therapeutic procedure for hip dysplasia is femoral head ostectomy. It entails the removal of the top of the femur, thereby eliminating the painful grinding at the hip joint. The femur is then permitted to float freely. This results in the formation of scar tissue which then serves as a false joint. This procedure is not advised for mild cases of arthritis and is usually effective only on smaller, well-muscled dogs.

Lastly, can canine hip dysplasia be prevented? The onset of hip dysplasia can be delayed in many dogs with a genetic predisposition by preventing excessive weight gain during the early months and by making sure that the puppy does not place undue stress on the hips.

The most effective means of prevention is, of course, careful breeding since hip dysplasia is an inheritable condition. OFA and PennHip offer information on breed risk. Before buying a puppy, it is strongly recommended that you check pedigrees for OFA, PennHip, or GDC certifications

Hip Pain Relief

If you have chronic hip pain, some common causes include:

繚 Degeneration
繚 Overuse or injury
繚 Repetitive or strenuous activity
繚 Muscles that attach to the groin area become strained or sprained
繚 Low-back pain or sciatica

Exercises for Hip Pain: Relief At Home Working Out

All of these exercises can be done everyday. Start with the beginning exercise and work up to the others. These exercises are made to be relaxing, not strenuous.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. tightening the cheeks of your buttocks will Squeeze your gluteal muscles. Hold for a few seconds and then relax. Do this up to 30 times per session. Next flex the muscles in your buttocks while lifting your hips off the ground and hold for a few seconds before going back down. Be sure to breathe in the exercise.

Same with the first exercise, you can work up to doing it about 25 times.You start out the same for this one too with your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. squeeze your butt and lift your hips off the floor. Flex your abdominal muscles and lift one foot a couple of inches off the floor. Then put it down and lift the other foot a couple of inches. The key is remembering to breathe.

Exercises for HIP PAIN RELIEF: Working Out at the Gym

When lifting weights, remember to find out how much weight is appropriate for you. Lifting weight that is comfortable for you will build endurance in the muscle and lowers your risk of injury. Start out small and then work your way up in weight.

Using a squat machine will strengthen your quad muscles on the front of your leg and the hamstring muscles on the back of your leg. both of which are connected to your hip and give it support. The squat machine may be vertical, in which case you start in a standing position and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or it may be on a sliding incline board. The pain in your hip should feel less than before. Also, pressure on the joint will be relieved.

Leg extension

Use the leg extension machine by placing your knee under a pad, and straighten your knee against resistance. Squeeze your quadriceps both when you lift the weight up and when you let it down to get the most out of the exercise.Hamstring squeeze. Use the machine that works your hamstrings; you will either lie on your stomach or sit with a pad behind your knee. Push against the pad, moving your knee up toward the ceiling or backward (depending on which position you're in). But to avoid cramps in your hamstring muscles, don't bend your knee so much that your heels are too close to your buttocks.

Exercises for Hip Pain: Working Out With Supervision

When you have help from a physical therapist at a clinic, you'll have a chance to do exercises beyond what you can do at home or at the gym. The goal is for you to be able to enjoy exercising.The most common problem is jumping in too fast, doing too much, hurting yourself, and deciding that exercise isn't the way to go. Everyone can benefit from exercise, and feel good while doing it. Stick to it and you will get hip pain relief.

Bee Sting Therapy For Arthritis Pain Relief - Is This a Joke

As far back as around 400 B.C., Hippocrates - the Greek physician commonly referred to as the "father of medicine", used bee venom to treat joint pain and swelling, in fact bee venom therapy has been around for thousands of years.

Reference's to the treatment can be found in ancient Egypt and Greek medical writings.

Also known as apitherapy, the technique is more widely used in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America. Today many people still find the stings of honeybees helpful when addressing conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis.

Honeybee venom contains many active substances one of which is 'Mellitin', an anti-inflammatory agent which is known to be more than one hundred times stronger than cortisone.

These substances stimulate the body's release of the hormone cortisol as well as neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, all of which can help relieve the pain, stiffness and swelling of arthritis.

Caution.... Allergic Reactions

Yes it does sound like a quick fix for your arthritis pain, however, unfortunately bee stings are noted for triggering an allergic reactions called 'Anaphylaxis' or  Anaphylaxis shock.

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening type of allergic reaction, so caution should be shown if you are considering this course of treatment.

Is Bee Venom A Proven Technique?

Although bee venom therapy is largely an unproven technique, a small number of U.S physicians have reported good results using the substance to treat arthritic conditions.

Treatments of honeybee venom therapy, or 'Apitherapy' supposedly started after bee-keepers, who were stung many times, noticed their arthritis pains were relieved. Some practitioners still use live bee stings to deliver the venom.

Bee stings are by no means a cure-all & there's no way of knowing if they will work for you, without trying, which could be dangerous without the appropriate medical supervision. And to cap it all, we shouldn't forget bee stings are not pleasant.

If you do decide you would like to try bee stings, speak with your doctor.  It's important that you be prepared for a severe allergic reaction by having a bee sting allergy kit on hand - even if you've never reacted negatively to bee stings in the past. Although the side effects of bee-venom therapy usually are mild, an allergic reaction to a sting could potentially be deadly.

Is  Apitherapy a Viable Option For My Arthritis?

It's true that bee stings may help your arthritis, but in my opinion should probably be avoided, due to the risk involved. The good news is Less barbaric natural methods exist and could prove far more user friendly and even more effective in relieving all kinds of arthritis pain and inflammation

 
Written by Mark John

The Myths About Arthritis And The Joint Pain That You Can Possibly Live With

Joint pain as a result of arthritis affects one in five adults in America. Till this date, the management of osteoarthritis has only focused on pain relief. There is no specific drug that can get rid of arthritis joint pain effectively. This is in contrast to rheumatoid arthritis, in which there are several treatments that have proved to prevent the bone degeneration and joint damage if treated properly at an early stage.

Therefore, it is more promising in tackling a joint problem arising from rheumatoid arthritis than osteoarthritis.

Nevertheless, there are various alternative approaches to reduce and mitigate the symptoms of arthritis pain. And in doing so this may also improve the condition. Most of the elderly people have put up too long with joint pain caused by osteoarthritis.

They have suffered and live with arthritis as a matter of fact. This is something that they believe there is nothing that can be done about it. Joint pain arising from arthritis can affect any part of the joints from the jaw, neck, hip, knee down to the ankle. While this condition progresses very slowly and the pain comes and goes, it does affect the daily life of the patients tremendously.

There are many non-pharmacological treatment options in the market now. These have studied, tested and made available to patients. It does help in their pain relief efforts generally. In fact, these alternative treatments can be adopted to ease the discomfort caused by arthritis. That maybe chronic in nature. The myths that arthritis pain is something that has to be tolerated can no longer be validated further. Much efforts are required in educating the masses. There is a need to understand the many factors that contribute to osteoarthritis.

These factors can be categorized into conditions that are not modifiable and conditions that are modifiable. Factors that are not modifiable include hereditary, family history, sex, age and genetic predisposition. On the other hand, there are many non-pharmacological treatment options that are suitable to treat and relieve joint pain arising from conditions such as injury, obesity, muscle and skeletal deficiency and postural misalignment.

Coupled with the above factors, arthritis pain is further compounded from inactivity through the course of aging. It is also a common belief that exercising may worsen the condition resulting in more painful joints. And as one ages, the inactivity level also increases over time. This seems to be the rule of the day. A vicious cycle thus begins whereby inactivity weakens the muscle and skeletal system leading to cartilage breakdown. This worsens the condition. Dreadfully, the inactivity fulfills the common self-made belief that arthritis is an unavoidable wear and tear disease associated with aging!

Symptoms of TMJ

TMJ can be a very painful disorder to deal with and there are many different symptoms of TMJ. Of course, each person is different, and the disorder can be manifested in various ways. If you are wondering whether or not you have this problem, take a look at the symptoms of TMJ. If you are dealing with several of the symptoms, it may be a good idea to see your dentist. The faster you see a good dentist that knows how to treat TMJ, the more destruction and pain you can avoid in the future.

Head and Facial Symptoms

Many of the symptoms of TMJ include pain in the head and face. You may end up dealing with pain in the forehead, headaches that feel like a sinus headache, migraines, or even cluster headaches. Another symptom of this problem includes pain near the back of the head, which can include shooting pain, and having the scalp and hair very sensitive to touch.

There may be discomfort and pain in the chine, check, face, or the mouth. Sometimes you may notice that you have problems opening up your mouth or that the jaw goes to one side when the mouth is opened. Pain in the muscles of your cheeks may be a symptom, as are popping or clicking when you use the jaw joints.

Eye Symptoms

Belief it or not, some of the symptoms of TMJ actually affect your eyes. You could end up dealing with blurred vision, pain behind or below your eyes, a feeling of pressure behind your eyes, or even difficulty with your eyes watering. Other eye symptoms include eyes that are bloodshot and sensitivity to light.

Teeth Symptoms

There are many times that people think they have a toothache, when they are actually dealing with TMJ pain. You may notice that your teeth are sensitive and that you have tooth pain. Other teeth symptoms include clenching your teeth, at night or during the day, and grinding the teeth together while you are sleeping.

Ear Symptoms

You'll even find that the symptoms of TMJ can affect your ears. Some of the symptoms can include problems hearing, ringing or buzzing sounds in the ears, or feeling like your ears are clogged. There may be problems with dizziness and balance, and you may have bad ear pain without any infection in the ear.

Neck and Shoulder Symptoms

The symptoms of TMJ can even begin showing themselves in your neck or shoulders. Often people with this disorder deal with neck pain, aches in their shoulders, or a neck that feels tired and sore. Even lower and upper back pain can be a symptom, as can stiffness in the neck and pain or numbness in the fingers or arms.

Of course, these are only some of the symptoms of TMJ that you may experience if you are dealing with this disorder. To find out if you are really dealing with TMJ, it is best to be checked out by a professional that deals with this disorder. This way you find out if this is the problem and you can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

How Can You Tell If Your Dog Has Hip Dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia can affect dogs of all ages. However, the symptoms usually do not show up until the middle or later years in the dog's life. The disease has been detected in puppies as young as five months old. Our Siberian husky was a very healthy puppy and didn't develop the disease until he was about 9 years old. He lived until he was 13 years old. Husky puppies eventually grow up to be a large dog breed. Unfortunately this disease is common in the larger dog breeds.

The early signs of hip deterioration are pain and discomfort during and after exercise. Unfortunately the condition will worsen with time. Simple daily activities like getting up and walking around will become extremely painful. A dog with this disease must have intervention or they could eventually end up unable to walk. The signs and symptoms are similar to arthritis.

Dogs affected by the disease often walk or run with an altered gait. They may also resist any type of movements that require full extension of their rear legs. Dogs suffering from this disease will often run with a "bunny hop." Getting up slowly the first thing in the morning is also a sign of hip dysplasia. Stiffness is very common. Having trouble getting up was one of the first signs that our husky was having problems with his hind legs. His hind legs almost seemed paralyzed when he would get up. It took a little walking around to loosen them up.

Climbing the stairs is also usually a tough task for a dog whose hips are deteriorating. Some dogs that have milder cases of the disease will be able to work through the stiffness with a little walking warm-up. Limping is also common and a dog may become less willing to participate in their normal daily activities.

Many owners think that this is a direct effect of aging. Most people are surprised when they find out that there is treatment available. Unfortunately as the condition progresses, most dogs will lose muscle tone and they'll need help getting up.

There are several different surgical procedures that can be used to treat the disease. The type of surgery needed would depend on the dog's age, body size, and the severity of the hip joint's degeneration. Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO)is a procedure that is usually used in young dogs. Most are pups less 10 months of age that really have not developed major damage to the joints. Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis is a less invasive surgery. This procedure must be done before 20 weeks of age, preferably 16 weeks, and before any signs of arthritis are evident. Total Hip Replacement is usually only used for dogs that suffer from chronic hip dysplasia. While this is an expensive surgery, most dogs will return to a near normal level of activity without pain.

Knee Pain Relief - 4 Ways To Cure Knee Pain

Wouldn't it be great if you can wake up the next day without any knee pain? It would be awesome if you no longer had to put up with knee pain right? Well guys, it's like the saying goes, "there are no overnight fixes" and this is true with almost everything. But fear not, there are ways, moreless uncommon, to relieve knee pain. Just listen in and follow these steps to relieve your pain. Write these down for future reference.

Strengthen The Knee

It's simple logic, to make anything in your body pain free, make it stronger. To relieve your leg pain you make it stronger, to relieve tension you stretch etc. A good way to strengthen your knee is to strengthen your quadriceps. The strength of your quadriceps directly relates to how stable your knees are, the more strength in the quads the better your knee will feel. To safely and painlessly strengthen your quads, do cycling, preferably in a stationary bike with resistance. Cycling has zero impact on your knees, which makes it the best way to make your knees stronger. Try cycling for about 15 minutes per day. You'll find it quite helpful.

Keep The Knee Relaxed

To keep your knee relaxed make sure it's fully extended but not forcefully extended, that would cause more knee pain. To reduce any swelling elevate and ice it for about 15 minutes. This helps relieve pain by restricting blood flow. When you sleep, be sure to place a pillow or two under the knee with pain.

Massage Your Knee

A very effective way to massage your knee is to slowly move your patella in a circular motion. Try to do it rather slowly, gently, but firm, this loosens unstable tissue within the knee and helps get rid of it. Sometimes pain is caused by scar tissue in the knee. This procedure helps with healing the scar tissue.

Wear A Knee Brace

For those who have knee pain during the day, and most people do, try wearing a brace. It helps with keeping your knee stabilized while walking. Keeping your knee stabilized is vital to reducing your pain because the reason the knee hurts is because some sort of motion or movement damaged the knee. Stabilizing it can help heal scar tissue as well.

Add any of these practices to your day and your knees will thank you.