Rehabilitation of the Injured Horse Jim Hamilton, DVM In the ever-changing competitive environment
in which equine practitioners find themselves, one looks for new ways
to provide a higher quality and quantity of service to the clients.
Historically the transition was from mobile to clinic to a hospital
with surgery capabilities. However we are quickly approaching a point
where offering general surgery requires having a board certified surgeon
on staff. The bottom line is a major commitment in terms of personnel
and equipment. Advantages over swimming The advantages of an aqua tread over
traditional swimming from a practical standpoint include less space
requirement, cleaner water and lower investment cost. From a medical
standpoint, cleaner water leads to less skin disease. Secondly, the
muscles used in an aqua tread better match those normally used in ground
training. Traditional swimming utilizes muscle groups that can lead
to transient soreness when that animal goes back to ground training. Documented Benefits Historically, most horses that have sustained one of several categories of injury have not had the benefits of any rehabilitation. The benefits are well documented. One need only consult a human orthopod or sports medicine specialist to learn its importance in terms of prognosis for return to function. Why then does the average horse owner and the veterinarian not seek out and institute a rehabilitation plan more sophisticated than "Rest the horse for six months. put him back in training and hope for the best"? The answer is not a simple one. It would include considerations such as:
We as an industry are moving into a new
era of technological sophistication due in large part to our willingness
to learn from human medical research. This is leading to major advances
in diagnostics and treatment. There is, in this author's opinion, considerable
room for improvement in the final phase of the injury process - REHABILITATION.
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In
our clinic, we have attempted to address this issue by installing an
aqua treadmill. This equipment provides a means of developing muscle
tone and cardiovascular fitness in a horse that has been laid up for
a variety of different soft tissue injuries. In addition, most surgeons
we have consulted have given strong endorsement to its use after many
orthopedic procedures.