Hydrotherapy simply means “water healing” in Greek
Canine hydrotherapy is a treatment which utilises the physical water properties coupled with therapeutic handling techniques to perform reduced weight bearing, low impact, controlled exercises. within a safe, warm body of water in a sanitised environment with therapeutic benefits to improve patient mobility, function and mental well being.
The intended effects of canine hydrotherapy include:
- Pain relief
- Reduces swelling and stiffness in joints, allowing improved range of motion and flexibility
- Improves muscle lengthening and muscle strength
- Improves overall quality of life and wellbeing
- Promotion of relaxation
- Improves gait pattern, transitions and postural transfers
- Increases mental stimulation to provide positive behavioural effects and enrich the dogs environment
- Improves cardiovascular fitness for maintenance and conditioning
- Increases circulation
- Helps with weight loss
- Increased proprioception
- Prevents secondary complications
- Helps speed up recovery
- Increased tissue healing
Physical properties of water utilised in hydrotherapy treatment
The water temperature is kept between 29 and 32 degrees C to have beneficial therapeutic effects. This can significantly affect the dog’s thermoreceptors (sensory receptors) found in the dermis of the skin, skeletal muscles and brain, which are activated by different temperatures. The warmth of the water helps the dog to relax and increases blood circulation which will in turn increase the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and help flush out waste products.
Hydrostatic pressure provides constant pressure to a limb or body immersed in water and opposes the tendency of blood to pool in the lower portions of a body helping reduce tissue swelling and it is a natural anti-inflammatory. It also provides phasic stimuli to skin sensory receptors that cause a decrease in nociceptor hypersensitivity, this decreases an animal’s pain perception which can allow the animal to perform movements with less pain.
Due to the buoyancy of the water when submerged, the weight of the body is supported and means the dog is not fighting gravity therefore hydrotherapy is one of the best forms of exercise to aid recovery. It reduces stress on the joints, and this creates a much safer environment for recovery after surgery.
The resistance of the water, or the amount of force required to move through the water, improves both muscle tone and cardio-vascular fitness.
The viscosity of the water stabilizes the patient and helps increase sensory awareness via receptors in the skin which is vital for neurological patients.
The properties of the water when combined with therapeutic handling techniques and controlled exercise will help to improve patient mobility and function.