Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Second Edition. Edited by Chris Zink and Janet B. Van Dyke.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Introduction

The primary goal of any rehabilitation treatment
plan is to maximize the patient’s functional
recovery. This may be achieved through a vari­
ety of methods including therapeutic exercises
(Chapter  8), manual techniques (Chapter  6),
functional mobility retraining, and use of
assistive devices (Chapters 11 and 18). Physical

modalities use thermal, sound, electrical, and

light energy to impact the physiology of the

target tissue. Physical modalities should be

viewed as tools to augment and complement the

treatment plan. Used with an understanding of

the impact each has on different tissues, these

tools can be effective toward reducing pain, sup­

porting tissue healing, improving flexibility and

joint ROM, and facilitating muscle strengthening,

Rehabilitation Physical Modalities

Krista Niebaum, MPT, CCRT, Laurie McCauley, DVM, DACVSMR, CVC,

CVA, CCRT, and Carolina Medina, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CVCH, CCRT

7

Summary

Physical modalities are tools that can be used to complement a patient’s rehabilitation

treatment plan through the use of thermal, sound, electrical, and light energy. They can

be used to address pain, swelling, soft tissue restrictions, joint range of motion (ROM)

limitations, and muscle weakness, as well as to promote tissue healing, thereby

improving a patient’s ability to participate in other aspects of rehabilitation therapy

(e.g., therapeutic exercise, functional mobility retraining, etc.). A general overview of

the physical modalities most commonly used in canine rehabilitation is presented,

with a goal of assisting the therapist in determining if and when their use may improve

treatment outcome. The modalities discussed are cryotherapy and superficial heating

(superficial thermal agents), therapeutic ultrasound (TUS), neuromuscular electrical

stimulation (NMES) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) (electrical

stimulation modalities), low‐level laser therapy (LLLT)/photobiomodulation, and extra-

corporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). Patients affected by orthopedic and neurologi-

cal injuries, working and sporting dogs, and the geriatric population can all benefit

from use of physical modalities at some point during their rehabilitation program.