Enlarged Stifle Joint?
“My dog has improved well with Conservative Management, but his knee is larger than the knee of the un-injured rear leg.” —– The method the dog’s body uses to stabilize the joint after a ligament injury is to build a buttress of tough scar tissue at the injured joint which prevents the bones from moving against each other inappropriately, but allows most proper movement. This buttress development happens with recoveries after conventional surgery as well as with non-surgical CM stabilization. The buttress can be seen and felt at the stifle joint. It is especially apparent when the joint is compared to the other leg’s stifle joint. —- People seeing this enlargement may think it is something they should be concerned about, such as a swelling from inflammation. But in fact it is normal, healthy tissue serving a useful purpose. Dogs who have had ligament injuries and have re-stabilized the stifle joint will almost always have ‘big knees’ like this. What About Braces?—- Most dogs rec
