Rehabilitation

What is rehabilitation and how can it help?

Physical rehabilitation for your pet is like physical therapy for people.  Rehab helps to maintain or improve daily function by reducing inflammation and pain, improving joint range of motion and muscle flexibility, strengthening muscles, improving balance and body awareness, and building endurance.  Rehab helps pets recover more quickly from surgical procedures or injuries and helps to promote functional independence.

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Rehabilitation includes therapeutic exercises, joint mobilizations, medical massage, stretching, passive range of motion, laser therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), and acupuncture.  

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Common injuries and issues treated with veterinary rehab include:​

• Post-operative recovery from a TPLO/extracapsular repair, FHO, fracture repair, total hip replacement, amputation, and spinal surgery

• Conservative management of cruciate (ACL) disease/tear, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patellar (kneecap) luxations, angular limb deformities, carpal hyperextension injuries

• Neurologic diseases including intervertebral disc disease, degenerative myelopathy, Wobblers, lumbosacral stenosis, brachial plexus injury, fibrocartilaginous embolism

• Soft tissue injuries such as muscle strains (iliopsoas), tendinopathies, shoulder instability, Achilles injuries

• Osteoarthritis

• General mobility and muscle loss issues

• Weight loss

• Conditioning and injury prevention