<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In recent years, exercise on a water treadmill has come to have great relevance in rehabilitation and training centres for sport horses. Its use exploits certain physical properties of water, related to the fundamental principles of hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and water temperature. These properties together with deliberate specification of the depth of the water and the velocity of the treadmill provide a combination of parameters that can be varied according to the purpose of the rehabilitation or training programme, the disease to rehabilitate, or the healing phase. In the current article, kinematic adaptations to exercise on a water treadmill and the direct application of such exercise to the rehabilitation of superficial and deep digital flexor tendon and accessory ligament injuries and back and joint diseases are described.</p>
</abstract>

In recent years, exercise on a water treadmill has come to have great relevance in rehabilitation and training centres for sport horses. Its use exploits certain physical properties of water, related to the fundamental principles of hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and water temperature. These properties together with deliberate specification of the depth of the water and the velocity of the treadmill provide a combination of parameters that can be varied according to the purpose of the rehabilitation or training programme, the disease to rehabilitate, or the healing phase. In the current article, kinematic adaptations to exercise on a water treadmill and the direct application of such exercise to the rehabilitation of superficial and deep digital flexor tendon and accessory ligament injuries and back and joint diseases are described.

The use of the water treadmill for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries in the sport horse

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

In recent years, exercise on a water treadmill has come to have great relevance in rehabilitation and training centres for sport horses. Its use exploits...

Parameters	Swimming	Water treadmill without water	Water treadmill
Velocity, m/s	1.08–1.15	1.11–1.67
VO₂, ml/kg/min	Not measured	8.93–9.57	10.44–16.7
RR, breaths/min	25.0–30.0	37.6–39.7	33.5–51.9
Vt, L	Not measured	3.8–3.9	4.2–6.0
VE, L/min	Not measured	152.1–158.3	169.3–242.2
HR, beats/min	182–190	49–76	60–97
LA, mmol/l	2.3–2.8	0.7–1.4	0.7–2.0

Physical property	Therapeutic effects
Buoyancy	Reduction of the axial forces supported by joints and surrounding soft tissues
	Reduction of cardiovascular effort (lesser HR increase than during on-land exercise)
Viscosity. and drag force	Improvement of the range of motion
	Increase in muscle strength and power
	Increase in neuromotor control
Hydrostatic pressure	Reduction of oedema and inflammation
	Promotion of lymphatic return, increasing stroke volume
	Increases in blood flow to the muscles, and in diffusion of metabolic waste products from
	muscles to blood
	Reduction of pain
	Increase in the range of motion
	Muscle strengthening
Temperature (cold)	Reduction of blood flow
	Control of oedema, inflammation and pain
	Reduction of fatigue

The use of the water treadmill for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries in the sport horse

Article Category: Review Article

Publicado en línea: 13 sept 2019

Páginas: 439 - 445

Recibido: 16 feb 2019

Aceptado: 06 ago 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2019-0050

Palabras clave
horse, exercise, rehabilitation, training, water

© 2019 A. Muñoz et al. published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Summary of the main physiological adaptations to swimming exercise (full flotation) and exercise on a water treadmill (semiflotation) in the horse. Values are presented as maximum and minimum means reported in the literature

Physical properties of water useful for rehabilitation and training purposes and therapeutic effects (according to references 16 and 31, with modifications)

The use of the water treadmill for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries in the sport horse

Article Category: Review Article

Publicado en línea: 13 sept 2019

Páginas: 439 - 445

Recibido: 16 feb 2019

Aceptado: 06 ago 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2019-0050

Palabras clavehorse, exercise, rehabilitation, training, water

© 2019 A. Muñoz et al. published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Summary of the main physiological adaptations to swimming exercise (full flotation) and exercise on a water treadmill (semiflotation) in the horse. Values are presented as maximum and minimum means reported in the literature

Physical properties of water useful for rehabilitation and training purposes and therapeutic effects (according to references 16 and 31, with modifications)

Palabras clave
horse, exercise, rehabilitation, training, water