Incorporating a rehabilitation ethos into the management of canine osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating degenerative condition with an extremely high incidence. Consequently, it is frequently encountered in first opinion practice and was recently cited as a primary cause of welfare compromise through extensive population studies carried out by Vet Compass, a division of the Royal Veterinary College. In the preceding article of this series (https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2021.0014), the author provided a brief overview of the complexity of chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis and advocated for a polypharmacy approach guided by the clinical presentation. However, pain is only one clinical manifestation of degenerative joint disease. Osteoarthritis affects the whole joint and local support structures, as well as impacting the entire musculoskeletal system. Interventions targeting the multitude of consequences of this disease are likely to have greater impact on long-term analgesia, independent mobility, function, longevity and overall health-related quality of life. This article introduces the clinical reasoning and evidence base associated with an integrated multimodal approach to a multifaceted and complex disease.