The power of movement

At the beginning of her keynote address at the 2025 Fetch dvm360 Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Leliani Alvarez, DVM, DACVSMR, shared a quote by Martin Luther King Jr., that she loved: ‘"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but by all means keep moving forward.’ She uses this quote as in relation to her patients, who have difficulty walking because of injury, back surgery, paralysis, or bed ridden, who need to move in some way. To move, according to Alvarez, is the most impactful way you can improve the lives of patients like hers.

Throughout the rest of her keynote address, Alvarez shared with attendees personal anecdotes, scientific evidence, and 2 minutes of dancing to show everyone the benefits of regular exercise.

Leliani Alvarez, DVM, DACVSMR, on stage at Fetch National Harbor during her day 1 keynote address

Movement's effects on the body

“So if a patient has broken a leg, if a patient has cancer, if a patient has a herniated disc and has lost motor activity to their legs, we have to find a way for them to move, because it's the most impactful thing you can do to improve their quality of life. And so, in fact, movement is a multi drug. It affects practically every system in our body in a positive way. Most of us think about movement as being really important for joint health, and absolutely is, but it's also important for your brain function,” Alvarez told attendees.

It is no secret that clients want their pets to be around for as long as possible as well as spend as much time with them as possible. When it comes to exercise, it can also increase metabolism because muscles use a lot of energy; meaning muscle mass requires more energy to move and you burn calories. Because exercise is already known in animals, this gives owners a chance to be able to able to help keep their pet healthy but also have set time and activities to do together.

Alvarez also explained to attendees that through her time working in rehabilitation, movement has a very impactful effect on movement in neurologic function. Through neuroplasticity—as you move, your muscle send signals to yours nerves, which then transmits to your spinal cord, and then your brain, plus proprioception—the signals tell where you are in space. So when you move regularly, but also when your older patients move regularly, it can decrease the risk of slipping and falling.

Circulation is also something that Alvarez said movement can benefit. “We talked about the improved stroke volume and injection fraction, but it's also from circulation in your muscles, and as your muscles contract. Interestingly, there are mitokines, so cytokines that are released from the muscle that are anti inflammatory and, in fact, tumor protective, and that's actually produced just from your muscles,” Alvarez explained.

Another part of the body that benefits from movement is immune function. In humans, people who exercise regularly have lower incidence of colds and upper respiratory infections. Alvarez told attendees that the take away from her lecture should not be to exercise 7 days a week in order to be healthier and have a better immune system, but to follow Goldilocks principles. This means that you can do moderate levels of exercise to really benefit and help strengthen yourself because too much exercise can have a negative impact on your immune system. An example of this Alvarez used during her address was sled dogs and high endurance athletes.

Conclusion

Exercise is not only good for the health of patients, but for the veterinary staff as well. By taking time to take care of the bodies of patients and team members through movement, it can help improve almost all aspects of the body, and also quality of life. And for when you are feeling stressed or need a change during your day, Alvarez said put on your favorite song and dance it out for a few minutes.

Reference

Alvarez L. Motion is lotion: How movement extends life quality and quantity. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 Conference; September 12-13, 2025; National Harbor, MD.