Lecture 15 - Small Animal Rehab Flashcards
What is physical therapy?
Science of application of anatomy, biomechanics, psychology, physics, and physiology to persons/animals with dysfunctions, injury, pain, or physical abnormalities.
Rehab is good for what types of injuries/animals?
- Athletes
- neurologic injuries
- Orthopedic injuries
- Arthritic animals
- Obese animals
- Geriatric animals
- Non-compliant owners
Why is joint immobilization bad?
- Cartilage degeneration
- Ligament degeneration
- Muscle atrophy
- Hypertrophy of scar tissue
How does cartilage degeneration occur with immobilization?
Decreased synovial fluid production, decreased diffusion into cartilage
What can joint immobilization ultimately lead to?
Decreased ROM
Increased pain, OA, functional impairment
What are the benefits of rehab?
- Maintains or increases joint ROM
- Slows development of OA (nutrition to cartilage)
- Decreases pain
- Shortens recovery time
- Increases quality of life
What are things to note during the patient assessment for rehab?
- Throrough history
- Lifestyle/expectations
- General PE
- Ortho exam
- Neuro exam
Pain management should aways be done with a _____ approach.
multimodal (EX: NSAID + heat therapy)
What are some important aspects of nursing care during rehab?
- Soft bedding
- Proper nutrition
- Monitoring for pressure sores
- Monitoring urination (scald, retention)
What non-specialized rehab equipment are used?
- Thermotherapy
- Passive ROM
- Massage therapy
- Land exercises (wheelbarrow, dancing, sit-to-stand, assisted ambulation)
What specialized rehab equipment are used?
- Underwater treadmill
- Pool
- Land treadmill
- Therapeutic ultrasound
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
- Low level laser therapy
- Land-based tools (physio-rolls, Cavaletti rails, stairs, balance board)
What is cryotherapy?
Superficial cold therapy applied to injured area usually 0-72 hours post injury.
What are benefits of cryotherapy?
- Skeletal muscle relaxation (improved venous/lymphatic flow, reduced edema)
- Vasoconstriction (reduced edema)
- Slows nerve conduction (analgesia)
How far do superficial heating agents penetrate and what is an example?
Up to 2 cm;
EX: warm packs
How far do deep heating agents penetrate and what is an example?
Up to 5 cm;
EX: therapeutic ultrasound
When should heating tissues be used?
Before or after ROM exercises