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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9 Aquatic Therapy

Summary

Aquatic therapy encompasses any exercise or manual therapy completed in an aquatic

environment. The benefits of aquatic therapy include the ability to offer prescriptive

exercise that is functional without being painful. Balance exercises can be completed

safely in an aquatic environment well before they can be attempted on land. Elevated

metabolism resulting from the resistance provided by water helps to speed weight loss

while increasing muscle strength. Underwater treadmill (UWTM) work adds the

benefits of gradually increased weight bearing while giving the therapist the option to

quickly change tread speed as needed. The inherent properties of water, including

buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, viscosity, fluid dynamics, and resistance make aquatic

training efficient for achieving rehabilitation and maintaining total fitness. There is a

substantial difference between swimming as an exercise and aquatic therapy, which

encompasses all therapeutic work done in the water. Aquatic therapy programs are

designed using the same system of short‐, middle‐, and long‐term goals described in

Chapter 8. Swim sets are interspersed with rest sets during which manual therapies can

be applied. Program goals include improving flexibility, strength, balance, coordina-

tion, postural awareness, speed, and endurance. Reassessment visits determine the

rate of progression of each program. Equipment used in aquatic therapy includes life

vests, harnesses, slings, balance equipment, leg weights, resistance mitts, balloons,

and pool noodles. Assistive and resistive techniques are employed as well as gait

patterning, tail work, and facilitation. There  are some breed‐related swimming and

UWTM characteristics about which the therapist should be aware before initiating a

training session, and there also are precautions specific to the injury or surgical

procedure being rehabilitated. UWTM variables include water temperature, tread

speed, water depth, resistance, and duration.

Jody Chiquoine, MSN, FNP, CCRT, Ellen Martens, MsPT, MT, CCRT,

Laurie McCauley, DVM, DACVSMR, CVC, CVA, CCRT,

and Janet B. Van Dyke, DVM, DACVSMR, CCRT