Physical therapy or rehabilitation is well utilised with people recover from injuries and surgery. Increasingly, it is being used in animals to help restore function, mobility, and quality of life. 

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Veterinary physical rehabilitation includes many techniques that can be used independently or together to maximise the full benefit of treatment, such as:

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• Therapeutic exercises — Therapeutic exercises can be incorporated into every patient’s rehabilitation plan to improve strength, balance, and coordination. A wide range of exercises target specific muscle groups, strengthen core muscles, and rebuild muscle after disuse.

• Treadmill therapy — Both land and underwater treadmills improve strength, endurance, and balance in patients recovering from injuries. In addition to general conditioning, they are commonly used for gait retraining and improving range of motion. Although underwater treadmill therapy offers additional benefits to select patients, we do not currently offer this therapy at this time at our facility.  

• Massage — Many massage techniques relax muscles, reduce stress, improve circulation, and decrease pain in pets.

• Passive range of motion — Passive range-of-motion exercises are used to prevent loss of function in non-ambulatory patients, help patients regain their normal function during recovery, and improve circulation for healing.

• Chiropractic care — The goal of veterinary chiropractic is to restore function and mobility to compromised spinal vertebra in an effort to re-establish neurologic communication. This allows the body to perform at its optimum potential and sets the stage for optimal recovery.

• Acupuncture and dry needling — Acupuncture stimulates specific points in the body, promoting natural healing and restoring balance. It is becoming increasingly popular in veterinary medicine, especially as a method of providing pain relief as well as an effective method of relieving muscle spasm.

• Neuromuscular stimulation — Electrical stimulation can strengthen muscles and reduce muscle wasting in pets who suffer from temporary paralysis or who are unable to use specific muscles for a short period of time. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) also is used to stimulate the release of pain-relieving substances from nerves.

• Laser therapy — Low-level laser therapy uses penetrating light to decrease pain and inflammation while improving healing in patients with problems such as arthritis, surgical incisions, and other wounds.

Physical rehabilitation can provide pets a variety of benefits, including:

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• Reduced pain and inflammation

• Increased range of motion

• Improved balance and coordination

• Restoration of normal movement

• Restoration of normal muscle mass 

• Increased muscle strength

• Weight loss in obese patients

• Improved overall quality of life

 

Conditions that might benefit from physical rehabilitation include:

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• Post-operative recovery of orthopaedic and neurological conditions

• Degenerative joint disease or arthritis

• Developmental joint diseases including hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia

• Tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries

• Conservative management of orthopaedic conditions

• Intervertebral disc disease and nerve disorders such as degenerative myelopathy