Physiotherapy in Domestic Animals: Fisioterapia en Animales Domésticos: What does the evidence say?

Abstract

Background: Veterinary medicine is a field of knowledge that integrates several professional  areas for its development. This is how evidence has been reported regarding the participation of physiotherapists in the rehabilitation processes of animals that present some type of pathology  that affects its functionality. Objective: perform a review of the literature regarding the physiotherapeutic interventions performed in dogs and cats with musculoskeletal and  neuromuscular disorders. Materials and methods: A review of the literature, search in databases such as “Ebsco” “Pedro” “Hinari” “Elsevier” “Science Direct” “Springer” “Medline”, which included the following inclusion criteria: 2000 to 2016, literature with the following terms DeCS: dogs, cats, veterinary medicine, rehabilitation, animals. Results: We found information in which information was obtained regarding the physiotherapeutic intervention in dogs and cats, it has been reported the use of physical agents for the treatment of acute injuries through modalities such as cryotherapy, thermotherapy, ultrasound and electrostimulation, the use Of these physical agents helps to manage pain, decrease edema, increase range of motion and reduce spasticity, in addition to that it is reported that the therapeutic exercise and manual therapy have significant effects on the return to activities of daily life of These animals. Conclusions : Physiotherapy in animals is indicated for acute and chronic processes such as musculoskeletal and neuromuscular lesions, this is done through physical means and therapeutic exercise focusing on functional activities of movement