When we treat hips with gold bead implants, we see mostly local effects, and very little systemic effect. GB29, GB30, and BL54 work locally on the joint and the other trigger points work mostly on the surrounding muscle. On seeing a possible canine candidate for gold bead implant for hip dysplasia, always x-ray the back for spondylosis . For gold bead implantation to be successful in such cases, one must treat both the back and the hips. One must also look closely at the stifles.
Many dysplastic dogs tear the anterior cruciate ligament while trying to compensate for the hips .
Even though they show radiographic signs of hip dysplasia, the major pain may be coming from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. This is usually the case when one hind leg has exaggerated pain. One must first repair the cruciate ligament and then also implant the gold beads at the hips at that time, or later. We usually repair the hips and knee at the same time. This is the second most common type of arthritis that we treat.