I've gotten some questions as to why she was having surgery in the first place. Rather than link back to May when we went through this the first time, here's a brief overview as I understand it.
What she had was a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the stifle joint (canine for knee). If you're a dog, that's some painful stuff, and it's an invitation and wide open door to arthritis.
The problem is best resolved (according to her doctors and a heap of research I've done on my own) through a surgery called Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO). TPLO eliminates the need for the ligament. The surgery changes the anatomy of the knee joint by cutting the tibia and placing a plate inside to change the shape of the stifle, resulting in her knee returning to a movement that is more like the hinge that it is, rather than sliding back and forth like a drawer. It also eliminates friction on the ever so precious meniscus (cartilage), thereby retracting the invitation to, and shutting the door on, arthritis.
That concludes today's lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment