Pet hydrotherapy is a form of therapy in pet rehab that uses water resistance to help relieve pain and rehabilitate injuries. There are a number of benefits that come along with this form of therapy in Montclair.
Hydrotherapy uses resistance, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and buoyancy to help your pet move injured joints that are still in the process of healing. This type of therapy works because it provides weightless therapy and removes the added pressure of gravity. It reduces the stress on the joints that are recovering and it’s anti-inflammatory.
Treatment of Different Conditions
Hydrotherapy can help a variety of different health conditions and injuries. Since this therapy is low impact, it can be used in pets of all ages, including geriatrics with muscle atrophy or arthritis. It has been beneficial in treating ACL injuries, neurological problems, metabolic conditions such as diabetes, and orthopedic conditions and injuries.
Hydrotherapy also helps with healing after surgery and weight loss. The type of hydrotherapy that is prescribed depends on the condition being treated. For example, swimming can be a good cardiovascular workout and increase calorie burn. Since it’s hard to modify swimming, it can be a challenge to use swimming on a broad scale for rehabilitation. Underwater treadmill use gives more control and allows for modifications to therapy to be made. The speed of the treadmill and depth of the water can be adjusted to provide different experiences for the animal.
Preventing Injuries and Physical Conditioning
For active breeds and sporting dogs, recreational hydrotherapy can be a good way to get in some physical conditioning to help with endurance and stamina. This helps strengthen muscles to improve athletic performance, as well as helps prevent muscle injuries and strain. Positive results are seen quickly when hydrotherapy is incorporated into athletic conditioning programs. Exercise in the water accelerates the results when compared to other exercises on land.
Added Benefits
Besides treating different conditions and pain, veterinary hydrotherapy can help with the alleviation of muscle spasms, provide a better range of motion, heal tissue, promote blood circulation, and be used to modify other treatments.
Get Pet Rehab in Montclair
To get your pet started with hydrotherapy, contact Valley Animal Rehabilitation.