Canine Rehabilitation

Numerous athletes around the world are treating injuries they have sustained during their training and performances in the Olympics. Some of these athletes have defied great odds to continue in their sport and perform at the elite level. Many of the techniques used with human athletes are now being performed with canine athletes. Canine physical therapy is one of the fastest growing areas of veterinary medicine throughout the United States. Veterinarians are beginning to learn the benefits of rehabilitation for pets. Veterinarians and owners are finding that injuries that were once career ending are no longer. With the development of new surgical procedures, in conjunction with physical therapy, career-ending injuries are declining and dogs are returning to their respective sports in shorter timeframes. Used appropriately, physical therapy is the best tool in the medicine bag for certain cases.

Physical therapy can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions with dogs. It is effective for preoperative and postoperative cases, traumatic injuries whether it is musculoskeletal and/or neurological impairment, conditioning and strength training, weight loss, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, muscle strains and ligament injuries to list a few. Animals benefit by gaining range of motion and improving strength and function with less pain. Disuse muscle atrophy, joint contractures and muscle stiffness can be prevented. Recovery times are improved and the dog is able to return to its prior level of functioning much faster and safer. In addition, physical therapy can be utilized to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury to healthy dogs. Numerous owners are taking advantage of these techniques and principles creating high performance canines. Your dog must be physically trained to reduce the chance of injury, improve strength and endurance, and gain the competitive edges.

A number of physical therapy modalities can be used to treat specific conditions: heat and cold therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, sound wave therapy, pulsed radiofrequency therapy and magnetic wave therapy. Some of these items have been utilized for a long time with proven effectiveness while others have little documented medical research to substantiate the effects. Therefore, owners and caregivers must be cautious when receiving or providing treatment for their pet as some items on the market have unproven effectiveness. Another treatment tool in physical therapy is therapeutic exercise. Several examples include passive range of motion, stretching, strengthening, endurance, and balance and coordination exercises. Numerous problems affecting people and dogs can be attributed to muscle imbalances, meaning some muscles are too weak while others are too tight. This can lead to mal-alignment problems, overuse injuries, muscle spasms, joint contractures and neurological conditions to name just a few. Any of these can lead to further joint problems, traumatic injury and poor performance. A full physical examination including range of motion measurements, girth measurements and even force plate analysis can help detect some of these subtle differences. A therapeutic exercise program can then be prescribed to address these problems. The exercises prescribed must be tailored to the specific problem and/or specific sports Passive range of motion exercises can improve joint mobility, decrease pain and decrease muscle tightness. Stretching will improve flexibility. Strengthening exercises prescribed for the weak musculature will decrease fatigue and improve strength. Other exercises can be given that address musculoskeletal and cardiovascular conditioning, as well as balance and proprioception. If a problem doesn't exist, the program should be geared toward the specific sport or activity the dog will perform.

Numerous pieces of exercise equipment are available to use with your dog. Your imagination is the limit in devising ways to exercise them. A few examples include weavepoles,tunnels,ramps.trampolines, balance boards, sand boxes and hoops. My favorite exercise device is the underwater treadmill. This has been adapted from human medicine but manufactured specifically for dogs. The dog is loaded into the front of the treadmill through the hinged door. Water fills from