The University of Tennessee

University Outreach and Continuing Education


Canine V: The Stifle

A minimum of one elective is required for all participants.

Prerequisites

Participant must:
  • Participant must be a veterinarian, veterinary technician, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant or an actively enrolled student in on of these fields.

Course Description:

The stifle, or knee, is arguably the most problematic joint in the dog. Cats are also afflicted with conditions of the stifle joint. This course will provide an in-depth examination of the canine and feline stifle joint, common clinical conditions affecting this joint, and treatments. This two-day course will review the anatomy, structure and function, biomechanics, and clinical evaluation of the canine stifle. Following this in-depth discussion of the normal joint, common clinical condition will be discussed, including cranial and caudal cruciate ligament disease, luxating patella, traumatic injuries of the stifle, osteochondritis dissecans of the stifle, inflammatory and neoplastic conditions, osteoarthritis of the stifle, and rehabilitation of stifle joint conditions. Descriptions and the pros and cons of various surgical treatments will be discussed, including tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, extracapsular repairs of cruciate ligament injuries, tibial crest transposition and block recession trochleoplasty for luxating patella, and arthrotomy versus arthroscopy for stifle conditions. Clinical studies of the various surgical techniques will be presented to provide an evidence-based approach to the selection of treatments. The role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and slow-acting disease-modifying osteoarthritis agents in the management of dogs with osteoarthritis of the stifle will be discussed. The use of physical rehabilitation, including therapeutic exercises, aquatic therapy, and physical modalities, will also be emphasized for conservative and post-operative management of stifle conditions.

Seminar Outline

Day 1

  • Anatomy, structure and function, and biomechanics of the stifle joint
  • Clinical evaluation of patients with stifle conditions
  • Cranial and caudal cruciate ligament disease and its treatments, including TPLO, modified retinacular imbrication technique, intracapsular surgeries, other extracapsular surgeries, meniscal injuries, arthotomy versus arthroscopy

Day 2

  • Luxating patella and its treatments
  • Traumatic injuries of the stifle and their treatments
  • Osteochondritis dissecans of the stifle
  • Inflammatory and neoplastic conditions of the stifle
  • Osteoarthritis of the stifle
  • Physical rehabilitation of stifle joint conditions
  • Decision making for stifle injuries

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, the participant should be able to:
  • Understand the structure and function of the stifle joint
  • Understand the pathophysiology of cruciate ligament disease as it is currently understood
  • Understand the rationale for the various surgical procedures for cruciate ligament disease
  • Understand the pathophysiology of luxating patella and the surgical procedures used to stabilize the patella
  • Understand the evaluation and treatment of traumatic injuries to the stifle
  • Understand the pathophysiology and treatment of stifle OCD
  • Be able to evaluate and make treatment recommendation sfor inflammatory and neoplastic conditions of the stifle
  • Have and understanding of the use of various pharmacological and other disease modifying agents to treat osteoarthritis of the stifle
  • Understand how physical rehabilitation may be used in the conservative and postoperative management of dogs with stifle conditions