According to articles published by The K9 PT<\/a> and Online Pet Health<\/a>:<\/p>\n There are multiple pitfalls associated with underwater treadmill treatment, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n These pitfalls can be circumnavigated when we understand our modality well, use a multimodal treatment approach, and put the needs of our patients first.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s take a look at some concerns you should consider:<\/p>\n \n \n We <\/span>need <\/span>to <\/span>be <\/span>able <\/span>to <\/span>gradually <\/span>load healthy <\/span>muscle and other soft tissues <\/span>in <\/span>order <\/span>for <\/span>them to <\/span>strengthen.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Underwater treadmills can aid in lessening tissue loading in the early stages of recovery by providing buoyancy and reducing body weight loading, and in this way we are limited in how to progress tissue loading.<\/p>\n \n The only things we can do are increase the load to normal weight bearing and use the benefits of walking at an incline while also accelerating the pace. However, these loading progressions might not be the best option in every situation, and they continue to be cyclical, which is a drawback.<\/p>\n \n The resistance that the water adds to the underwater treadmill is a feature that is frequently mentioned. We can definitely load the cardiovascular system, but only some parts of the muscle system more by doing this. We can’t really target a single muscle or group of muscles because we’re loading the system as a whole.<\/p>\n \n Similarly, in humans, we don’t run on a treadmill to become stronger. the progressive loading is not there. In order to become stronger, we need to progressively load the muscles.<\/p>\n \n In other words, the underwater treadmill will only go so far towards strengthening a muscle, and it will eventually reach a plateau. This plateau is reached early during the healing or rehab process and is of less strengthening value for a healthy dog.<\/p>\n \n \n Although the reason may be different for each dog going into a rehab centre, most of them have a problem with their walk, i.e., an abnormal gait pattern, when they first visit. One of the main objectives of a rehabilitation program is to retrain a normal gait pattern.<\/p>\n \n Any rehab centre wants to help restore a normal gait pattern, but repetitive walking\u2014especially in water where there is more resistance\u2014can exacerbate an irregular gait pattern instead of assisting in its restoration.<\/p>\n With regard to healthy IGP dogs, heads-up, focused heelwork involves actually training an abnormal gait pattern. Placing an IGP dog on an underwater treadmill, where there is more resistance during the forward “reach” phase of the leg movement, while creating a passive extension in the “drive” phase of the leg movement, not only exacerbates the abnormality of the gait, but also increases and intensifies various muscle imbalances.<\/p>\n \n When dealing with an abnormal gait, it is important to understand the cause in order to restore it via manual, targeted therapies, and exercise to avoid the trap of making an abnormal gait pattern worse.<\/p>\n \n During a Veterinary Rehabilitation Podcast interview, Dr. Marta Sanchez Emden mentioned that owners frequently ask her for recommendations for modalities that their pets should receive, and that the underwater treadmill is frequently at the top of the list. Many other rehabilitation professionals have experienced similar requests for underwater treadmill treatment, which may come from the owner, or even the referring veterinarian, even though it isn\u2019t the most appropriate treatment for that patient at that time.<\/p>\n It can be easy to fall into the trap of giving the owner (and the referring vet) what they\u2019re asking for. This path may seem and feel good to us, and pretty soon everyone is going on the treadmill. The underwater treadmill becomes a bit of a sausage machine \u2013 patient in, patient out, patient in, patient out. This is great for our business, but is it the best thing for our patients?The answer is no<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We cannot assume that one modality or a predetermined protocol, i.e., an underwater treadmill, can be used on every dog. Particularly not in the same manner. This is true for all modalities.To me, an underwater treadmill is a piece of machinery for use in rehabilitation modalities by professionals skilled in clinical reasoning, knowledgeable about the science underlying the machine, and aware of the best ways to use it. <\/p>\n \n It is not a one-size-fits-all piece of equipment for rehabilitation, and we should not view it in that light.<\/p>\n \n More importantly, when dealing with a healthy sports dog, using an underwater treadmill as a strengthening tool would be most unwise.<\/p>\n Extra References:<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Schedule a one-on-one virtual chat to help you move in the right direction today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In our Workshop offering insights and understanding into IGP Training and Injuries, we touched on how underwater treadmills (UWTM) may not be the best form of strength exercise for an IGP dog. Personally, I do not recommend UWTM for a healthy IGP dog due to the abnormal gait pattern in which we train our dog […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2},"tve_updated_post":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Some-cautions-when-considering-Underwater-Treadmills-for-strengthening-healthy-sporting-dogs-2.png\" "\\"Some")
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Hydrotherapy for Animals<\/h4>\n
Load Progression<\/h3>\n
Abnormal gait pattern<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/iStock-1345881909.jpg\" "\\"Heeling")
<\/span><\/p>\nDr. Marta Sanchez Emden<\/h4>\n
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Don’t know where to start?<\/h3>\n