| print
link to this post | email a friend Stop Sitting Pretty!27 Mar 2017 By Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt (Animal Physiotherapy), CAFCI, CCRT www.FourLeg.com www.CanineFitness.com
I do not recommend ‘Sit Pretty’ as an exercise. Here’s why:
1. It’s not functional. When is this skill needed in a dog? Does is translate to any other functional movement? Do we actually know that it builds core muscles? Answers: Never. No. No. So, those who are promoting and loving this exercise are doing so based on hearsay or just because they’ve seen others doing it and are looking for something to add to their dog’s training regimen or trick roster.
2.What happens to the facet joints during ‘sit pretty’? The facet joints are the joints of the spine that control movement. With the exception of the first two vertebras, each other vertebra is joined to the vertebra above or below it (or ahead or behind, in the case of 4-legged creatures) by a set of facet joints as well as the disc. The facet joints transfer load, allow for movement, and also block undesirable movement. Firstly, let’s realize that the facet joints in the dog’s back are designed to transfer forces from limbs to the body / spine with the dog in ‘normal dog positions’ (sitting, standing, lying down, and moving directionally). When a dog is in a ‘sit pretty’ position, there are 180 Newtons of force going through the facet joints. Compare that to normal walking (approximately 107 Newtons) or standing (approximately 26 Newtons). Walking upstairs comes close at 170 Newtons, but standing erect on two-legs exerts the greatest amount of force through the facet joints. Surely there’s no benefit to that!
3.The consequence of making facets do what they’re not intended to do. It has been reported that when a dog has more extension forces on their back that their bodies will adapt by smoothing out the joint surfaces that are being bashed together. In quadrupeds, it’s the facet joints that get smoothed out and enlarged, allowing more slip and slide of the joints in extension. This protects the back from painful bashing… but it also serves to de-stabilize the spine. Essentially, the joints are no longer blocking movement, they are now allowing more movement as an adaptation of what is being asked of the body. It might sound like a good short term solution. However, when this occurs it also means the more stresses and forces go through structures that shouldn’t be stressed further (i.e. the disc, or the muscles, or small local ligaments), and when this happens, the body needs to come up with another way to stabilize the area. How the body does this is by adding bone to try and stabilize (otherwise known as spondylosis). Spondylosis is when a bridge of bone is formed between each vertebra on the underside of the vertebra. While I tell people not get freaked out about the presence of spondylosis (i.e. their dog is not crippled or paralyzed by its presence) it does mean that there is an area of the back that has become overly stiff, and subsequently, a different area of the back is likely becoming too flexible to compensate. And neither is ‘great’!
4.The iliolumbar ligament. Who? Maybe you’ve never heard of it. Your dog hasn’t… because he/she doesn’t have one! The iliolumbar ligament is found in people. It’s a strong ligament that helps to stabilize the lumbosacral junction (basically the junction between the low back and the pelvis / tail bone). It is a ligament that is likely found in people and not in 4-legged animals because as 2-legged creatures we need more stabilizing mechanisms to help us stay upright! It is thought that the muscle Quadratus Lumborum is what helps stabilize the spine of quadrupeds in the absence of the iliolumbar ligament. But this is a pretty thin, small muscle in dogs, so it’s not likely to be providing the same stability that a strong ligament can!
5.More missing ligaments! An interesting study was conducted looking at the ligaments of quadrupeds (i.e. dogs / horses / rodents), bipeds (humans), and pseudobipeds (birds). The researchers found that a set of ligaments (to the side of the vertebra in the thoracic spine) were absent in any of the quadrupeds they studied. They speculated that these additional ligaments were a development subsequent to the mechanical challenges unique to having an erect spine. They also discussed how developmental scoliosis was not a typical problem in quadrupeds, but is a more common occurrence in humans and birds.
Essentially, being upright is associated with high facet joint forces, a higher incidence of scoliosis, and the need for additional ligaments. Dogs are not designed for time spent in an erect posture. (Nor are goats, horses, or pigs… in case you were wondering!) All in all, I can find no redeeming qualities in the Sit Pretty exercise. As such, my professional recommendation is to just stop it, and your dog will be better off for it!
References: 1. Breit S. Functional adaptations of facet geometry in the canine thoracolumbar and lumbar spine Th10-L6). Ann Anat 184: 379-385, 2002. 2. Buttermann et al. In vivo facet joint loading of the canine lumbar spine. Spine, 17(1): 81-92, 1992. 3. Evans & deLahunta. Miller’s Anatomy of the Dog, 4th Edition. Elsevier, St Louis, MO, 2013. 4. Jiang et al. A comparison of spinal ligaments – differences between bipeds and quadrupeds. J Anat 187: 85-89, 1995. 5. Gregory et al. The canine sacroiliac joint. Preliminary study of anatomy, histopathology and biomechanics Spine 11(10): 1044-1048, 1986. 6. Woodburne & Burkel. Essentials of Human Anatomy, 8th Edition. Oxford University Press, New York, NY: 559-560, 1988. ADDENDUM The expanded version of this blog can be found at: http://www.fourleg.com/Blog-Search?t=Sit%20Pretty and alternative exercises can be found at: http://www.fourleg.com/Blog-Search?t=DoThisInstead
|
|
See the picture… this is what we’re talking about. Teaching your dog to do this is all the rage in canine sporting groups, training groups, and trick groups. People have been told that it’s a good exercise for building “the core”. And while it might just get your dog to activate his or her abdominal muscles, it might also be doing damage as well.