Why a Physio May Discourage Ball Throwing
Let's face it. Many dogs love chasing a ball. But have you ever thought about how it can affect your dog?
For many dogs, a game of fetch is their favourite activity.
From a physio's perspective, it is not the game that is the concern, it's what happens when your dog chases the ball.
From standing still to full speed in a matter of seconds, followed by sudden braking, twisting and changing direction. Repeating these moments places significant forces through the joints, muscles, tendons & ligaments.
And because they love the game so much, they often can't self-regulate and don't know when to stop, putting them at risk of repetitive strain injuries.
Many owners think that chasing a ball only affects the cruciate ligaments in the stifle, however this is not the case, and the whole body needs to be considered.
So let's look at the phases of ball play biomechanically.
Acceleration - the push off phase - the hindlimbs generate most of the propulsive force, with the hips and stifles extending powerfully, and the gluteal and hamstring muscle groups contributing to the propulsion, forcing the forelimbs to then accept increasing loads. As the speed increases, the ground forces on all 4 limbs are increased
Speed - during fast movements, the shoulder plays a major role in shock absorption and limb control. The forelimb is also required to stabilise the body whilst the hindlimbs generate propulsion
Shock absorption & stabilisation - as the foot strikes the ground, the carpus accomodates and distributes before the limb loads the rest of the body. When the dog changes direction at speed, not only is the carpus simply dealing with vertical loading, but also mediolateral and rotational forces
Deceleration - as the dog reaches the ball, they have to lose speed quickly. This requires the muscles to act eccentrically. The dog might plant a limb to brake, producing large forces through the limbs. And if the dog is braking whilst turning, the forces aren't purely forwards and backwards, they are multidirectional
But this doesn't mean your dog can never play with a ball!
We simply need to change how they play.
So, how can we make ball play less physically demanding?
Rolling the ball shorter distances rather than throwing further and at height
Practicing the "wait" command until the ball is stationary, and sending your dog to find it
Avoid encouraging repetitive sharp turns
Choose suitable, non-slip surfaces
Mix ball play with sniffing, training and other enrichment activities
Allow your dog to warm-up before starting faster work
As a physio, I'm not trying to take away the things that your dog loves, instead, I try to find ways for them to remain active and enjoy life, without placing unnecessary strain on their body.
Sometimes, changing the way we play can make a positive difference!
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