Hydro PT & Rehab
Did you know that humans aren’t the only ones who can benefit from physical therapy and rehab? Dogs can too!
Whether your dog was injured from an accident, lives with daily pain, is in need of weight loss, or needs to improve its gait or posture, veterinary physical therapy and rehabilitation can work wonders on its health and overall wellbeing.
To further enhance Independence Veterinary Clinic’s PT and rehabilitation options, we are going to begin implementing hydrotherapy by using a Hydro Physio treadmill! Never heard of it? You’ll want to keep reading, then. It’s pretty amazing.
You’re probably wondering why the treadmill is submerged in a water tank. Well, do you know the feeling you get while swimming or floating? Remember how weightless and relaxed you feel? Submergence feels the same for dogs too!
Hydrostatic pressure, surface tension, buoyancy, and water temperature are the primary reasons why hydrotherapy treadmills are so effective when used for physical therapy and rehabilitation.
According to Hydro Physio, the manufacturers of the treadmill, the hydrostatic pressure in water helps to reduce peripheral oedema, assists circulation, reduces heart rate and arterial pressure, as well as increases metabolic rate and lymphatic drainage. It also creates stimuli to the sensory skin receptors and, in turn, allows for increased movement with less pain!
The surface tension of water helps dogs to strengthen specific muscle groups, improve balance, and allows for greater reaction time.
Buoyancy reduces load on joints and muscles, improves core stability, improves flexibility, and decreases pain.
Water temperature even has therapeutic effects too! It helps to relax muscles, aids in comfort, increases circulation, and again, relieves pain.
By submerging the treadmill in water, we are quite literally lifting the weight off of your dog’s shoulders and allowing it to truly focus on healing and exercising in a calm, relaxing, and therapeutic environment.
Whether your dog is recovering from an injury, rehabilitating after a surgical procedure, or is simply going through the process of aging, the low-weight bearing exercise that this treadmill offers is an incredible way to improve its health and activity level. The use of hydrotherapy treadmills is proven to speed up recovery time and improve patient outcomes, making for much happier doggy patients and owners!
Interested in having your dog partake in hydrotherapy at IVC? Give us a call or stop in to chat about how we can help to improve your furbaby’s day-to-day life!
