Evaluation of infrared thermography, arterial Doppler ultrasound, and Doppler echocardiography in healthy adult dogs exposed to a single session of Whole-body vibration at different frequencies

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the infrared thermography, arterial Doppler ultrasound, and Doppler echocardiography in healthy adult dogs exposed to a single Whole-body vibration (WBV) at different frequencies. Sixteen (16) healthy crossbreed dogs males of ages from 1 to 5 years, and weighing 16.3 to 24.5 kg were enrolled in the study. The dogs were exposed to a single WBV session at frequencies of 30 Hz (5 min), 40 Hz (5 min), and 50 Hz (5 min) with intervals between each frequency exposure of 10 min. The cutaneous temperature, arterial Doppler ultrasound, and Doppler echocardiography were evaluated 10 min before the WBV session, between each frequency, and 1 min after the last frequency. The cutaneous temperature of the regions of the superficial gluteal muscle and biceps femoris muscle of both hind limbs was obtained with an infrared camera. Resistive indexes of carotid and femoral arteries were determined using Doppler ultrasound, and Doppler echocardiography was used to assess the end-systolic volume and end-diastolic volume, heart rate, aortic blood flow velocity, and pulmonary artery flow velocity. Complete blood count and serum biochemical (alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, and creatine phosphokinase) were evaluated at 10 min before and 60 min after the end of the WBV session. Statistically significant differences were not found in any of the variables among the time points. In conclusion, the protocol of increasing vibration frequencies (30, 40, and 50 Hz) at short-period WBV can be considered appropriate since no change occurred in the parameters evaluated.

Application of Infrared Thermography in the Rehabilitation of Patients in Veterinary Medicine

“…The authors explain that the increase in muscular and peripheral vascular activity on the joint is promoted by vibration via the maintenance of the muscle tone. A study by Agostinho et al [ 69 ] using IRT, arterial Doppler ultrasound, and Doppler echocardiography in 16 healthy crossbreed dogs exposed to a single whole-body vibration at frequencies of 30 Hz, 40 Hz, and 50 Hz over 5 min with 10 min intervals of frequency exposure revealed no significant differences in the variables in the evaluation events. This reaffirms that the superficial thermal response is associated with the local microvascular response, which is modified in response to the therapies used [ 39 ].…”

“…Although IRT monitors the local thermal response after physical therapies in orthopedic injuries where inflammatory processes are involved [ 47 , 68 , 79 ], an interesting perspective to explore is the possibility of applying this tool in physical therapies aimed at injuries to muscle tissue, where the response is possibly longer compared to joint injuries. In this sense, it is necessary to explore the effectiveness of the use of combined therapies, such as acupuncture or the use of vibrations, to reduce the level of pain [ 63 , 69 ], with a multimodal pain management approach that could help surgeons and veterinarians to decide whether the current analgesic protocol is adequate.…”