Introduction to Animal Physiotherapy

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Original Editor - Alan Jit Ho Mak Top Contributors - Alan Jit Ho Mak, Jess Bell, Tarina van der Stockt, Lucinda hampton, Kim Jackson, Ewa Jaraczewska, Aminat Abolade and Rucha Gadgil  

Top Contributors - Alan Jit Ho Mak, Jess Bell, Tarina van der Stockt, Lucinda hampton, Kim Jackson, Ewa Jaraczewska, Aminat Abolade and Rucha Gadgil  

Introduction

Physiotherapy is defined as the therapeutic use of physical agents/means (i.e., massage or exercises) to treat disease/injury. This has been shown to be extremely useful adjunct to medicine, human and veterinary. The primary purpose is to restore mobility/function and quality of life to patients. Oftentimes, this is done by stimulating the healing process to restore injured tissues, to improve the balance/strength of the injured tissues and stabilising the cardiorespiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal systems. Physiotherapy also has important role in optimising performance and injury prevention in sporting and working animals. It can be performed on any animal, but the vast majority of cases seen in small animal practice are dogs.

The Use of Physiotherapy in Animals

Physiotherapy is often used to correct complication that maybe occurred as a result of surgery; however, if introduced early and appropriately, these complication can be avoided in most instances. The rehabilitation must be of the highest standard to fulfil the expectation of the animal owners and veterinarian alike.

The Benefits of Physiotherapy to Animals

Physiotherapy can be beneficial for animals in a wide range of conditions. Conventionally, physiotherapy is divided into a wide variety of specialities. In veterinary medicine, the divisions are as followed: Musculoskeletal, respiratory, orthopaedics, neurological, sports medicine, elderly care/geriatrics.

Musculoskeletal

Most people consider this as 'traditional physiotherapy'. The conditions seen can be split into soft-tissue injuries, such as sprains/strains or ruptures of ligament, tendon or muscle; bursitis and bone or joint disease, such as OCD. The injuries may be a result of either a traumatic event or overuse, where the owner cannot recall the specific onset of symptoms.

Respiratory

This is the acute care of animals in hospital; it could be post-anaesthetic recovery or ventilated animals. Physiotherapy is aimed to manage secretion, prevent pressure sores, prevent atelectasis, reduce the work of breathing and optimise the ventilation/perfusion ratio to ensure high oxygen saturation levels.

These aims are achieved using positioning (for pressure relief, postural drainage or to influence ventilation/perfusion ration within the lungs), manual techniques such a percussion or vibrations to remove secretions, neuromuscular techniques such as rib springing to increase lung capacity and manual hyperinflation or bagging to improve ventilation and aid secretion removal.

Orthopaedics

Physiotherapy following surgery is used to maximise the success of surgery. By working with the surgeon, the recovery can be optimised. Orthopaedic surgeons may have their own protocols for rehabilitation following surgery and knowledge of these protocols is needed by the owner and therapist before embarking on a rehabilitation programme. These protocols guide the therapist on how much weight can be put through the leg and when different exercises can be introduced.

Neurological

Neurological physiotherapy is the rehabilitation of the animal following neurological injury, which can involve single limb or whole body. Neurological damage can be managed conservatively or surgically and may completely resolve or can leave lasting damage.

The amount of initial damage usually has a significant impact on the amount of recovery that can be achieved. Long-term solutions permanent damage sometimes have to be sought, such as wheels, harnesses/splints, to support the animal's everyday activities.

Sports medicine

The preparation of an animal for athletic activity is extremely important requiring physical training, skill training and cardiovascular training. Physiotherapy can help guide owners on appropriate conditioning programmes for certain sports and specific to the animal being trained. Different sports will place very different demands on animals. For instance, the endurance capability of a sled dog opposed to the speed of a racing greyhound. The rehabilitation of sports injuries is also extremely important as often these animals are not lame but subtle changes in muscle tightness can affect their performance.

Elderly care/geriatrics

As pets (and owners) are living longer now, there is a high population of arthritic animals seen in clinics, they can often have other co-morbidities such as diabetes that can complicate the rehabilitation process. The provision of a holistic approach to managing these animals, will mean that they can stay comfortable and functional for longer.

Developmental problems

A large number of young animals are seen with genetic/developmental problems, and they benefit greatly from physiotherapy to support their joints. Conditions such as hips and elbow dysplasia are often seen. Physiotherapy can improve their quality of life and prevent further problems or surgeries such as total hip replacements.

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