The neurological patient

Published:8 July,2020

At INDIBA, our premise is to revitalize lives through recovery of functionality and improvement of the quality of life. In this article, we will tell you how INDIBA Animal Health can help you manage the neurological patient to rehabilitate their musculoskeletal functions and recover their well-being.

 The management of the neurological patient can be one of the most challenging and rewarding work for the veterinary professional. Rehabilitation plays a critical role in the recovery and maintenance of function in neurologic conditions, whether treated surgically or non-surgically. Establishing recovery time is often the most difficult task because it is dependent on the neurological condition, underlying medical conditions, and neurological status at time of presentation for rehabilitation. Each patient requires a protocol designed specifically for the patient’s neurologic condition and must consider the owner’s expectations and level of participation, and expertise of the veterinary team.Physical rehabilitation during recovery from neurological disorders is important not only for strengthening and increasing flexibility but also for reducing pain and improving quality of life.The main goals in the rehabilitation of neurological conditions are to:
  1. Minimize pain
  2. Improve coordination and movement
  3. Prevent muscle atrophy
  4. Recover and maintain functionality
 All these goals are related to each other, so as the physiotherapist you need to assess them all. INDIBA Animal Health is the only EPA (Electrophysical Agent) that can help in each and every one of these goals. 
  1. Minimize pain:
Neurological patients are at a higher risk of experiencing pain. This may be due to muscle spasms, contractures, active trigger points, or nerve pain. When you reduce pain, animals are relaxed and cooperative and they recover more quickly and completely, and owners are more compliant with recommendations when their pets are comfortable.Analgesics and anti-inflammatories are important in managing pain in neurological cases, but there are also rehabilitation modalities that can help decrease the requirements of medications. This is the case for INDIBA’s radiofrequency technology. You can successfully treat pain – acute, subacute or chronic – therefore making the manual techniques and exercises easier for you as a physiotherapist and more comfortable for your patient. You can also reduce the amount of medication needed and the possible side-effects from that medication. 
  1. Improve coordination and movement:
To achieve this goal, several techniques need to be combined. Initial therapy for non-ambulatory patients may include standing exercises, range of motion, toe-pinch exercise, aquatic exercise, etc. Sling-assisted walking with foot protection, cavaletti rails, and physioroll balancing are used commonly for ambulatory patients. As recovery progresses, stair-climbing, carrying or pulling weights, resistance-band walking, swimming against resistance, and exercises specific to the home environment are added.Using INDIBA prior to these exercises and techniques helps not only to reduce pain, but also to increase the elasticity of the tissue. The patient is much more comfortable during the exercises and the exercises are much more effective. 
  1. Prevent muscle atrophy:
Muscle atrophy happens when there is a reduction in the activity of the muscle. The reduction of activity may come from pain and lack of movement due to that pain, contractures or spasms, poor nerve signaling, or a combination of these. If the patient can move, exercises will prevent the atrophy. If the patient is not able to move by itself, it’s very important to at least maintain a passive activity, ensuring correct blood flow, keeping good elasticity and range of motion. INDIBA is a tool that can be used before, during and after the active and passive manual techniques with different effects:

Before: reduce pain, improve blood flow and elasticity, and relax the structures due to the heat effect of the radiofrequency current at 448kHz.

During: our unique subthermal application is used along with active and passive movements, which drives the current through different pathways and deeper into the tissue.

After: once the tissue has relaxed, you are able to do massages, treat spasms, trigger points or contractures.

 
  1. Recover and maintain functionality:
This is the result of all the previous goals. When you are able to control pain, improve range of motion and muscle control, then you recover functionality. As the patient evolves, all the techniques need to still be applied and adjusted to the needs of the patient, to recover as much as possible and to maintain the results. Finally, guaranteeing the welfare of the animal is the most important objective when treating a neurological patient. INDIBA treatments are not only useful and effective for the treatment of neurological patients, but they are also a safe therapy. More importantly, the treatments are painless and comfortable for the patient, which guarantees the improvement of the quality of life. In short, at INDIBA we revitalize lives. 
Do you want to try INDIBA in your own practice?
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Related content:
More information on pain management with INDIBA Animal HealthMore information on rehabilitation and recovery with INDIBA Animal HealthINDIBA® Animal Health: a differential service for your practiceCase report: Treatment of neck contusion signs in a dog with monopolar radiofrequency at 448kHzCase report: Radiofrequency at 448kHz for the treatment of muscle spasticity in a dog with C2-C3 spinal cord injury 
Sources:
Marti G Drum (2009). Physical Rehabilitation of the Canine Neurologic PatientMary Ellen Goldberg (2016). Veterinary Technicians and Neurologic RehabilitationMegan Kelly (2017). Rehabilitation of patients with neurological disease