Tecar therapy as an alternative treatment in veterinary practice
A small area, with muscles that are difficult to access, and an inability to communicate with the doctor, but the same pain, the same impediment and the same desire to move freely again, without sudden pangs of pain and without having to drag oneself along day after day, finding it difficult to perform the most natural movements.
Sometimes lacerations and bruises, particularly in elderly or particularly young animals, can be attacked and complicated by highly aggressive pathogenic agents, leading to serious infections and deterioration. In technical terms this is known as septic arthritis, which causes limping, oedema, swelling and, clearly, very intense pain.
What is septic arthritis?
It is a bacteria-induced infection that affects the joints, or rather an inflammation of the joints, which presents all the characteristics of the latter: heat, pain, swelling. Even foals in the field can be affected by septic arthritis following injuries and wounds caused by sharp foreign bodies that allow bacteria to penetrate the joint cavities. This disorder is severely disabling and, until a few years ago, affected animals used to be euthanised. An accurate diagnosis of this disorder is therefore important, inasmuch as cartilage injuries can seriously prejudice the foal’s competitive future, and prompt intervention is useful, if not essential.
How can it be treated effectively?
As well as fighting the bacteria with antibiotic therapy, tecar therapy is also very useful. It reactivates the injured tissue by transferring biocompatible energy to it, promoting natural reconstructive and regenerative processes.
Thanks to PROFILE, the new bipolar electrode with mobile heads, the electrodes move over the body of the animal being treated and manage to reach areas that would otherwise be very difficult to treat. These electrodes can be spaced at variable distances from one another, making it possible to treat even very small injured areas with a complex anatomy.
Just as in the treatment of humans, the benefits are pain relief, oxygenation of the tissues, and drainage. As for the animals’ gratitude to FISIOWARM® tecar therapy …if only they could talk!
* Information taken from a case reported by the Studio associato Centinaio, www.progettoveterinario.it, which trialled this therapy on a horse and described the process in detail.