Case study

Care

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Rosie’s recovery journey: overcoming nerve impingement and rediscovering play

Patient: Rosie, 4-year-old Golden retriever bitch

The goal: Resolve intermittent lameness, manage suspected nerve impingement, and support healthy weight loss.

More than just a limp:
how chronic pain changed Rosie’s world

When Rosie first joined our 8-week premium package, she was struggling with intermittent lameness in her right hind leg. While she could handle long walks, she found rising after a rest incredibly difficult, often lifting her limb in discomfort as she struggled to get moving.

The clinical picture:

Diagnosis: Suspected sacroiliac joint impingement.
Initial DogMA musculoskeletal health score: 68/114 (indicating significant impact on her daily life).
Physical state: Lameness score of 7/10, visible muscular spasms in her lower back, a sloppy sit to avoid pain, and a reluctance to engage in play with her brother, Angus.

Weight: Rosie had lost some weight already but was still carrying excess weight, which was placing a heavy tax on her inflamed joints and nerves.

The solution: the 8-week Premium Rehab Programme

Rosie’s owners wanted a long-term solution rather than a temporary fix. Our holistic package provided the structure needed to address the root cause of her discomfort while supporting her overall health.

What the programme included:

Controlled exercise: A step-by-step plan to rebuild core strength, increase her hindlimb flight arc, and ensure normal movement in both back legs.
Environmental audit: We modified Rosie’s home environment to reduce the micro-traumas caused by slipping or jumping while her nerves recovered.
Manual and electrotherapy: Targeted sessions to release the chronic muscular spasms and pain throughout her lumbar spine, using laser therapy, massage, and stretches.
Weight management: A clinical focus on shedding the extra weight to decompress her spine and nerves.
Online support: Access to video guides and direct WhatsApp messaging ensured every exercise was performed with perfect form between our face-to-face sessions, and any small issues could be checked and solved.

Rosie’s transformation

By the end of the eight weeks, Rosie was moving with a level of comfort her owners hadn’t seen in a long time.

Clinical improvements:

DogMA score: Dropped from 68/114 to 22/114. This is a massive improvement in her perceived quality of life and physical comfort.
Weight loss: Now nearing her target weight, removing 6kg of pressure from her frame.
Movement: Lameness has massively reduced. She now gets up without stiffness after rest, sits and stands with perfect symmetry and has far more control during movement.
Physical health: Muscular pain in the spine has resolved, and a full range of motion has been restored to her right hind limb.

The quality of life difference:

The most significant changes were seen in Rosie’s personality. She has started instigating play with her brother Angus again: a behaviour that had stopped entirely before her physiotherapy. Her owners observed a large increase in excited tail wagging, more curiosity around the house, and a much easier time getting out of bed in the morning.

A note from Rosie’s owner:

“We can’t thank Matthew enough for his support and advice with our dog and her sciatica. Matthew is supportive and very caring, remaining in touch between sessions to offer reassurance and clarity. The rehabilitation programme provides holistic support, with advice and guidance not only for Rosie but also environmental factors in the home and where she walks. The programme helped us to measure Rosie’s progress and make adjustments with practical solutions offered at each session. Having access to the online video information has been really helpful. They are informative and clear, offering extra reassurance. The programme has offered us a step-by-step approach backed up by Matthew’s extensive knowledge and support for which we are grateful.”

— Sally, Rosie’s owner

Is your pet struggling to rise after rest?

Our 8-week premium package is designed for complex cases like Rosie’s, where a structured, clinical approach is needed to restore movement and happiness.

Over the course of just two months, we move from immediate pain management and home modifications to active strengthening and long-term wellness. Don’t let another month of stiffness pass by: start your pet’s eight-week transformation today and see a measurable difference by the final session.