CCAT Therapeutic Exercise Prescription 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dog presents with marked quadriceps atrophy six weeks post-TPLO. Which exercise BEST targets concentric quadriceps strengthening at this stage?
- Passive stifle flexion stretching
- Sit-to-stand exercises from a raised platform to reduce stifle flexion depth (Correct answer)
- Stand-to-sit exercises that eccentrically load the quadriceps through full flexion
- Lateral weaving cones course at trot speed
Correct answer: Sit-to-stand exercises from a raised platform to reduce stifle flexion depth
Sit-to-stand from a raised surface reduces the flexion angle required, allowing concentric quadriceps contraction at a safe, manageable range for a post-TPLO patient.
Question 2: Which physiological principle explains why aquatic exercise allows greater range of motion with less pain in a patient with osteoarthritis?
- Hydrostatic pressure increases synovial fluid viscosity, lubricating joints more effectively
- Buoyancy reduces effective body weight, decreasing compressive joint forces during movement (Correct answer)
- Water resistance selectively strengthens periarticular muscles, reducing joint laxity
- Warm water temperatures increase pain thresholds by blocking C-fiber nociceptors
Correct answer: Buoyancy reduces effective body weight, decreasing compressive joint forces during movement
Buoyancy offloads body weight proportional to submersion depth, substantially reducing compressive forces on arthritic joints and allowing more comfortable ROM.
Question 3: A therapist notices a dog consistently hikes its hip during the swing phase when walking over cavaletti poles. This compensatory pattern MOST likely indicates:
- Excessive hip extensor strength causing overreach
- Reduced stifle or hock flexion requiring hip circumduction to clear the pole (Correct answer)
- Vestibular dysfunction affecting lateral balance
- Over-compliance with pole height making the task too easy
Correct answer: Reduced stifle or hock flexion requiring hip circumduction to clear the pole
Hip hiking during swing phase is a classic compensatory pattern when the distal joints (stifle, hock) lack sufficient flexion to clear an obstacle, requiring circumduction instead.
Question 4: For a cat with intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) recovering neurological function, which exercise promotes voluntary hindlimb stepping in a supported patient?
- Forced swimming in a pool without support harness
- Assisted standing with manual facilitation of hindlimb stepping on a land treadmill or foam surface (Correct answer)
- Passive spinal mobilization at the lumbosacral junction
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation applied to forelimbs only
Correct answer: Assisted standing with manual facilitation of hindlimb stepping on a land treadmill or foam surface
Assisted stepping on a land treadmill or foam with manual facilitation activates spinal locomotor networks and promotes voluntary motor recovery in neurologically impaired feline patients.
Question 5: What is the PRIMARY rationale for prescribing 'downhill walking' in a canine rehabilitation program?
- To increase cardiovascular workload and aerobic capacity
- To eccentrically load the hindlimb extensors and improve deceleration strength (Correct answer)
- To promote hip flexor stretching through increased stride length
- To reduce weight-bearing on the forelimbs during recovery from shoulder injury
Correct answer: To eccentrically load the hindlimb extensors and improve deceleration strength
Downhill walking places the hindlimb extensors in an eccentric contraction during the loading phase, building deceleration strength and gluteal endurance.
Question 6: A therapist documents a canine patient's therapeutic exercise session using a SOAP note. In which section would the exercise parameters (sets, reps, resistance) be recorded?
- Subjective
- Objective
- Assessment
- Plan (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Plan
Exercise parameters for the next session or ongoing treatment are recorded in the Plan section of a SOAP note, which outlines future therapeutic interventions.
Question 7: Which patient characteristic would MOST indicate a need to slow down the progression of a therapeutic exercise program?
- Willingness to perform exercises with food motivation
- Increased lameness or pain signs persisting 24 hours after a session (Correct answer)
- Normal sleeping patterns maintained throughout the rehabilitation period
- Gradual improvement in muscle girth measurements over four weeks
Correct answer: Increased lameness or pain signs persisting 24 hours after a session
Lameness or pain signs lasting more than 24 hours after exercise indicate the current program is too intense and progression should be halted or regressed.
CCAT Therapeutic Exercise Prescription 5
A dog presents with marked quadriceps atrophy six weeks post-TPLO.
Which exercise BEST targets concentric quadriceps strengthening at this stage?