Problem: Black Labrador 2 years old, with a torn cruciate ligament from a direct hit into a door frame. She was instantly unable to put weight on her back leg. She was started on Rimadyl for 10 days to treat inflammation. The vet recommended surgery. This was devastating news as this dog was trained for dog shows. Infratonic therapy was started the next day.
Treatment: Infrantonic therapy was started in 24 hours with the following protocol: all 3 settings were used during each session, beginning with Mind setting directly over the knee and surrounding area for 30 min, followed by an hour session starting with Mind, then Body with it positioned under her paw to work its way up the leg. Finished with Mind setting for sweeping over body 5-6x all the way down the leg and tail.
The next 8 days following injury, the 3 settings were used for hour, 2 hr, and 3 hour sessions through out the day; beginning with Mind at the point of injury, body under paw, and finish with sweeping on Mind setting over the body. There was a 2-day break because of access to the machine, and then more sessions for 3 days using Mind/Body/Mind 3 times a day for one hour sessions following the above protocol: Mind directly to injury, followed by Body placing it under paw, finish with Mind sweeping over body, down the leg.
Quality of Life Improvements: Immediately following the injury, the Labrador walked on 3 legs. Initially the Lab was very restless, and the therapy seemed to induce some discomfort. After a few sessions, the lab became so relaxed during the sessions. As the treatments continued, the dog began to anticipate the start of Infratonic therapy and would settle back and lay quietly during the therapy. They observed the dog to be so relaxed.
The third day the lab began bearing weight with a slight limp. The dog was re-evaluated by a specialist for surgery, and informed my niece that he could not do surgery at this time because the dog had a normal gait. He did feel that the dog had frayed the ligament to some degree. He did anticipate the dog would eventually need surgery as she increased her activity. Total time logged for Infratonic therapy over a 14 day period was 30 hours using the Mind/Body/Mind. Her activity for 3 weeks was cage rest with gradual short walks and mild exercise.
It will be almost 8 weeks since the injury and the lab has an occasional limp, despite her increased activity. Her future is uncertain for dog shows, but for now this family is thankful this dog was spared a costly surgery that also had a risky outcome. The dog walks with a normal gait other than an occassional limp. My niece has used Infratonic on her other show dogs, and their performance was noticeably improved following a treatment prior to their show.
-Linda Flack (Ackley, IA)
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