Manual Therapy in Veterinary Rehabilitation

As it matures, the field of animal rehabilitation is welcoming utilization of interventions that have proven efficacy in the specialty of physical therapy for human patients. More recently, manual therapy techniques have become more accepted. Range-of-motion and stretching techniques; mobilization or manipulation of soft tissues, peripheral joints, and the spine; neuromuscular facilitation techniques; techniques unique to osteopathy; chest physical therapy; manual lymphatic drainage techniques; and neural mobilization techniques are now commonly incorporated in clinical practice, and these interventions are more commonly cited in the veterinary literature. The following is a brief review of these manual therapy approaches including the goals, effects, indications, precautions, and contraindications.