Surgical Treatment Options for Your Dog's Knee
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Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) Injuries
The CCL acts to stabilize the knee by limiting rotation and maintaining alignment of the two major bones within knee joint (the tibia and the femur). Cruciate ligament rupture is analogous to ACL injuries that occurs in people. The one significant difference is how this injury occurs. Humans generally rupture or tear their ACL after a traumatic event (skiing accident, football, etc..) whereas dogs more often have slow degradation of their ligament as they age. This degradation causes rupture their ligament with normal activity and much less frequently with a traumatic event. This slow degradation typically occurs in both knees; which means that 50% or more dogs that tear their CCL in one knee will eventually tear the CCL in their other knee.
At Kenwood Pet Clinic we pride ourselves in providing the most effective options tailored specifically to getting your dog back to the level of activity prior to the CCL damage. Drs Turino and Prochaska have a combined 40 years surgical experience in providing orthopedic solutions for CCL repair. We are trained and certified to perform the following surgeries for CCL repair:
Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)
Dr Craig Turino is certified to perform the TPLO procedure and has performed over 50 of them in the past 4 years. This procedure involves making a cut in the tibia and changing the slope of the knee joint to prevent sliding when a dog takes a step with that leg. This anatomical change negates the need to repair the cruciate ligament. Recovery for this procedure is quick, but full activity is limited until the cut bone is fully healed.
Tightrope CCL
Dr Craig Turino is trained to perform the Tightrope CCL procedure and has been implementing this repair in select animals over the past year. The Tightrope CCL is a modified version of the external capsular repair (see below) that uses a patented suture material that is very strong, and utilizes positioning this suture in isometric points that provide both rotational and horizontal stability of the knee joint. The Tightrope CCL repair often is less invasive and recovery can often be faster than the TPLO or the external capsular repair.
External Capsular Repair
The external capsular repair is the traditional repair, and is typically most common in smaller dogs or cats. This repair is typically least invasive, but requires the longest recovery time. The procedure stabilizes the knee joint to allow a faster healing and fibrosis of the joint capsule versus an unstabilized knee joint. This fibrosis of the joint capsule negates the need for an intact cranial cruciate ligament. Recovery from this surgery can take up to 12 weeks.
Please don't hesitate to call to schedule an appointment to have us look at your dog and we can discuss both surgical and non-surgical options, as well as recovery and pain control. We love meeting new clients and their pets.
