Leg Girth Measurements

One objective outcome measure I use often in my office is girth measurements of the front leg and back leg muscles! Why is this? 👉 It helps me assess for muscle atrophy or loss of muscle tone that may be indicative of a chronic imbalance!

When a joint is restricted for a long period of time, that joint has decreased proprioception, which is essentially the brains way of communicating with the joint. Not good, right? 😬 When the brain stops communicating effectively with the joint, the dog typically starts using it less and less, eventually leading to a decrease in muscle tone on that limb.

Our pet’s bodies are smart and are always finding ways to compensate to keep them moving and not vulnerable to other predators, which then means that the limb being overused to make up for the joint that started the problem is extra prone to ligamentous injuries, arthritis, and other degenerative joint problems.

Enter chiropractic! 👏 My goal is to find these functional imbalances before they become pathological imbalances, like a CCL tear or arthritis. The thing we don’t always realize is that while your pet’s limping may have popped up overnight, the problem that eventually lead to the limping likely started long, long ago! Keeping your pet well adjusted long before they have outward symptoms can be a game changer! ❤️