{"id":2591,"date":"2025-12-04T13:29:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=2591"},"modified":"2026-03-09T06:19:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:19:36","slug":"notes-from-a-physical-therapy-conference-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/notes-from-a-physical-therapy-conference-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from a physical therapy conference in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was very fortunate to attend the 12th<\/sup> Symposium for the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy (IAVRPT) in Cape Town, in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are some notes that can be of interest to pet lovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will also intersperse a few nice pictures, with a caption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an amazing conference, with over 200 people, from all over the world, who dedicate their lives to physical therapy and rehab in pets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Cape of Good Hope is the Southernmost point of the African continent.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is a force plate?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I attended a day of \u201clab\u201d work centered around the use of a force plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A force plate is a sensitive platform embedded in a walkway, that objectively measures the weight a patient places on each leg, in order to diagnose subtle lameness and track their progress during rehab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vets (mostly surgeons) have said for years that the weight distribution is not 50-50 between the front and back legs. We\u2019ve said it\u2019s 60% in the front, because the front legs \u201ccarry\u201d the head, the neck and the chest. And the back legs mostly \u201ccarry\u201d the belly, so that\u2019s only 40% of the weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Force plate analysis shows that this is a generalization. We just can\u2019t compare the body shape of a mini Doxie, a Bassett hound and a mastiff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important when we talk about the impact of weight loss and leg amputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight loss benefits the entire body, and now you understand why it helps the front legs even more, since they \u201ccarry\u201d more weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The speaker, a physical therapist, also explained that seemingly minor things can change the results of force plate analysis: the position of the pet\u2019s head, a wagging tail, turning the head to get a treat, pulling on the leash, wearing a neck collar rather than a harness, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line: a force plate is very helpful to diagnose a difficult lameness, and we have a lot more to learn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Catching a treat might change the results of force plate analysis.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to best treat arthritis pain?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved a lecture presented by a surgeon, who reminded us that the source of pain in a patient with arthritis is the LINING of the joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, treatments should target the lining of the joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve started to inject various products and medications in our patients\u2019 joints, with excellent results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started years ago with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n