Advancing Canine CCL Care Through Research at Red Sage
- Lindsay Harmon, MBA, CCRA
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
At Red Sage Integrative Veterinary Partners, we're passionate about providing evidence-based, innovative care for our patients. That's why we're excited to announce that our team is currently conducting two research projects focused on one of the most common orthopedic conditions affecting dogs: cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease.
CCL injuries are among the leading causes of hind limb lameness in dogs and can significantly impact mobility, comfort, and quality of life. While many treatment options exist-- including surgery, rehabilitation, regenerative medicine, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, and conservative management-- there is still much to learn about how these therapies influence long-term outcomes.
Our goal is simple: contribute meaningful data that helps veterinarians make better-informed decisions and ultimately improves care for dogs with CCL disease.
A Prospective Pilot Study
Our first project is a prospective pilot study evaluating dogs as they move through treatment. Rather than looking back at existing records, this study follows patients over time, allowing us to collect standardized information throughout their recovery.
Participating dogs undergo regular evaluations that may include:
Orthopedic examinations
Gait analysis
Pain and functional assessments
Range of motion measurements
Muscle circumference measurements
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (when indicated as part of treatment)
By collecting objective data at multiple time points, we hope to better understand how dogs recover over the course of treatment and identify measurable changes in mobility, comfort, and limb function.
As a pilot study, this project will also help lay the groundwork for larger future studies.
Looking Back to Move Forward: Our Retrospective Study
In addition to following current patients, we're also taking a deep dive into our existing medical records. Our retrospective study is reviewing every canine CCL case managed at Red Sage since 2018, creating one of the largest internal datasets our practice has ever assembled.
By evaluating years of patient records, we're investigating trends such as:
Patient demographics and risk factors
Treatment recommendations and combinations
Use of rehabilitation therapies
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy protocols
Orthobiologic and regenerative medicine treatments
Clinical outcomes over time
Retrospective studies allow researchers to identify patterns across hundreds of patients that may not be apparent when evaluating individual cases alone.
Why This Matters
Veterinary medicine continues to evolve rapidly, but many integrative and rehabilitation therapies still have limited published clinical evidence despite widespread use. By systematically collecting and analyzing data from our own patients, we hope to contribute to the growing body of research supporting evidence-based rehabilitation and regenerative medicine.
Every patient teaches us something new. Through these studies, we're working to transform those individual experiences into knowledge that can benefit dogs far beyond our own practice.
Investing in the Future of Veterinary Medicine
Research is an essential part of advancing patient care. At Red Sage, we're proud to be actively involved in helping answer important clinical questions while continuing to provide individualized treatment plans for every dog we see. Whether your dog is recovering from a CCL injury, managing osteoarthritis, or simply working to stay active as they age, our commitment remains the same: combining compassionate care with the best available scientific evidence.
We're excited to share updates as these projects progress and look forward to contributing new knowledge to the field of canine rehabilitation and sports medicine.
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