RESEARCH Ranking of physiotherape s

of physiotherapeutic intervention for dogs with stifle problems already exist [3,4,6]. However, the Finland Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground The role of animal physiotherapy has grown tremen-dously in modern post-operative rehabilitation of canine orthopaedic patients. The tests used to evaluate patients are mostly adapted from human physiotherapy. Al-though the assessment protocols may have been tested for reliability and validity in humans, this is not the case in dogs. Cranial cruciate ligament deficiency (CCLd) is one of the most common causes for hind limb lameness in dogs [1-3]. Numerous surgical treatment methods exist, and post-operative rehabilitation by animal physiotherapists is part of a successful outcome [4]. Osteoarthrosis (OA) is known to follow CCLd, regardless of the chosen surgical treatment method [1,5]. Several reports of th