Rehabilitation: Mobility Matters!
Physical rehabilitation uses an integrative approach to comprehensively treat physical injuries, mobility impairments and promote functional mobility. Patients with reduced mobility or suffering from injuries often experience pain and stiffness, weakness and incoordination, and overall difficulty performing normal daily activities. Rehabilitation can optimize the recovery of these patients by improving pain, decreasing the recovery timeline, and improving their quality of life.
Regularly scheduled rehabilitation treatments may be necessary to improve the pain or lameness initially, and often maintenance treatments or “tune ups” may be helpful in continuing to manage pain and maintain mobility long term.
Goals of a rehab plan
Physical rehabilitation consists of more than just “working out”. The main goal of rehabilitation is to promote a safe and pain free return to function. A comprehensive rehabilitation program utilizes therapeutic modalities to treat painful areas and reduce inflammation in the body prior to increasing the movement of that area. Once pain is appropriately managed and the patient is able to perform physical activity without discomfort, strengthening of the area using physical exercise can commence.
One size does not fit all in regards to rehabilitation therapy. To optimize the recovery of our patients, rehabilitation programs are specifically designed to meet the individual recovery needs of each patient. Prior to starting treatment, a thorough physical examination, mobility evaluation and functional assessment are completed in order to appropriately develop individualized treatment goals and an appropriate rehabilitation plan. Treatment goals may include, improving lameness and mobility, joint range of motion, balance and proprioception, reducing pain and swelling, muscle strengthening and weight loss.
What can we treat with rehabilitation?
Post-operative orthopedics & neurological patients
Conservative management of orthopedic & neurological patients
Muscle and tendon Injuries
Geriatric/arthritic patients
Overweight patients
Fitness and conditioning
Rehabilitation therapies
Class 3b therapeutic laser
Thermotherapy (moist heat therapy, ice therapy)
Manual Therapy (passive range of motion, stretching, massage, joint compressions)
Electrotherapy (TENS - transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and NMES - neuromuscular electrical stimulation)
Therapeutic strengthening, balance and proprioception exercises, gait training
Acupuncture (medical acupuncture, electroacupuncture, dry needling)
Think your pet could benefit from a rehabilitation consultation? Contact us to see how we can help!