Why the “Other Leg” Matters After Surgery:
Milly’s Journey to Recovery
Shared with the consent of Milly’s owner
I began working with Milly in December 2024, when I took over her rehabilitation care after her previous veterinary physiotherapist emigrated. At that point, Milly was three months post-surgery for a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), which had been treated with a TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy).
Thanks to the skilled surgery of Dr. Christiaan Triegaardt from CSSV and the diligent care provided by her previous vet physio, Milly had healed well from her surgery. However, when I first saw her, a new challenge emerged: Milly’s unoperated right hind leg began to show signs of strain.
Despite being the “good” leg, this limb started developing issues. Milly began limping on this leg. I noticed thickening in her hock joint and detected pain during my assessment. Although it’s common for dogs to develop a cranial cruciate ligament tear in the opposite leg, Milly’s pain was isolated to her hock—a very uncommon joint for dogs to experience issues in. Given the off-loading of the operated leg, it’s possible that the added strain exacerbated a smaller pre-existing issue in the hock.
Given Milly’s condition, we took a comprehensive approach to her rehabilitation, focusing not just on the operated leg but on her entire body. Our goals were to:
- Alleviate pain in her hock joint, lower back and compensatory areas of pain
- Strengthen her hind limbs to help distribute weight evenly and reduce strain
- Protect her stifles (knees) from degeneration
- Improve proprioception (limb awareness) to encourage Milly to use her affected leg
- Enhance core strength to reduce strain on her lower back and improve overall stability
With weekly veterinary physiotherapy sessions and Milly’s owner’s dedication to her home exercises, we began to see steady improvement. Over time, Milly’s pain levels decreased, and her muscle mass increased, providing better support for her hind leg and encouraging her to use it more.
The combination of strengthening her hind limbs and core helped reduce the strain on her back and her hind limbs, allowing Milly to move more comfortably and live a pain-free life once again.
Here’s what Milly’s owner had to say after one month of treatment:
“Milly and Jess met mid-December 2024, 3 months post a knee reconstruction surgery Milly underwent after tearing her ACL.
Both Milly and I “fell in love” with Jess’s character, her warmth and kindness towards animals and her obvious desire to help.
Milly has had weekly fisio sessions with Jess for just over 4 weeks and has already shown good progress.
Not only does Jess address the problem at hand, but also identifies other problems that Milly has to improve her overall function.
Both Milly and I highly recommend Jess, and we hope you will welcome her into your home as we have!”
Melanie & Milly