Land Treadmill - The treadmill can be used to increase balance, strength, and proprioception (the awareness of where the limbs are in space). By altering speed and incline we can customize an exercise plan for each individual patient. As a weight-bearing activity it can stimulate bone-growth and strengthening and can help to re-train animals to walk correctly again through gait patterning. It is a great tool for those pets who are non-painful that need strengthening or balance and proprioceptive training.

Therapeutic Exercises - Our therapeutic exercise programs (both in-house and home-based) can be considered to be one of the most important aspects of a rehabilitation plan. Each program is designed specifically for individual pets and their particular conditions. These exercises may be as simple as Passive Range of Motion (PROM) or stretching exercises which increase or maintain joint mobility and flexibility by increasing circulation to muscles and joints and increasing joint synovial fluid to provide nutrition to the cartilage within the joint. We may also prescribe proprioceptive exercises which help to improve a patient's balance. These may include weight-shifting exercises, walking on different surfaces or inclines, using balance boards or balls to provide ways for the animal to re-learn where their limbs are in space. In addition to the types of exercises above we may use other techniques and equipment to create exercises for strengthening and endurance or weight loss. Many of these exercises (PROM/stretching/massage) can also be performed in the therapeutic setting of the underwater treadmill.

Neuromuscular Electrostimulation (NMES) and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) - NMES is the use of a low-level electrical current to produce a muscular contraction. Electrodes are placed on the skin over the motor point of the nerve in the targeted muscle group. These minor, repetitive muscle contractions can mimic strength training for those pets that are unable to voluntarily use those muscle groups whether it is from a neurologic dysfunction or muscle atrophy from disuse. TENS is the use of low voltage current to the nerves in the skin to block pain transmission to the spinal cord and brain. The current stimulation causes the release of the body's natural pain-killers and anti-inflammatories like endorphins and cortisol which help to promote healing and provide pain-relief. Electro-stimulation can be used for muscle strengthening and pain control in a physical rehabilitation setting.

Therapeutic Ultrasound - The therapeutic ultrasound provides deep heating of tissues to induce a physiological effect with the introduction of sound waves at various depths into the body. It provides deeper heating potential than hot packs without excessively heating the skin which can help in conditions where there is restricted range of motion. It is useful in treating soft tissue injuries, tight muscle spasms, tendon and ligament chronic injuries or inflammation, and joint contractures. It can also decrease scar tissue and accelerate wound healing.

Low-Level Laser Therapy - LLLT is a newer modality in the field of animal physical rehabilitation. It is a low-Intensity laser that emits intense light at various wavelengths to cause cellular reactions within a tissue. It modulates metabolic activity at a cellular level when the light is absorbed into the tissues and converted to chemical energy. The laser can accelerate tissue repair and aid in wound healing, increase blood flow, accelerate the formation of collagen, and increase the body's pain-control chemicals like endorphins. The therapy is non-invasive and is painless and there is no increase in temperature of the treated areas. It has been used in humans for wound healing and treatment of osteoarthritis and may be valuable in nerve and soft-tissue Injuries as well.

Thermotherapy - Thermotherapy is the use of heat or cold superficially over an injured or restricted area of the body. The application of cold therapy (ice) to a region can decrease pain, decrease inflammation, and reduce swelling or muscle spasms. It is Important to take care to use the cold therapy (cryotherapy) in the appropriate manner and duration to avoid tissue damage. Heat therapy is often used in the conjunction with cold therapy and can increase blood flow, increase healing activity of the body, increase flexibility and stretching potential of tissue, and decrease pain. Again, it is important to apply these methods at the appropriate time in the healing process (i.e. do not use heat in the first 72 hours post-injury or surgery) and for the correct amount of time to avoid damaging tissues.

Massage Therapy - Massage provides many benefits to our patients including relaxation, reduced anxiety and stress, increase in circulation to affected tissue and joints, increase in flexibility and mobility, reduced pain, and the prevention of further Injury. It is a therapy that almost all pets enjoy and can be combined with other modalities during a treatment session.

Weight loss guidance - Working as a team with your regular veterinarian, we can devise a safe weight loss program that can include a calorie-restriction plan, advice on appropriate treats and rewards for your pet, an exercise program either in-house or home-based, weigh-ins as needed, and lots of support and encouragement. Just as with humans, overweight pets are at risk to develop serious illnesses and die at a younger age than those pets that are at optimal weight. With added weight pets are also more likely to develop painful arthritis which leads to less mobility and a decrease in ability to do the things they love. A comprehensive weight-management program can significantly decrease pain in these pets and increase their quality of life as well as yours.

Sports conditioning - We offer customized sport-conditioning programs for canine athletes, working or show dogs. The programs Include strength and flexibility training, endurance training, and cardiovascular training using many modalities including intervals on the underwater treadmill, training with weights and resistance, incline training on the land treadmill, and balance and coordination exercises with balance boards, balls, and rails. Sports conditioning programs are popular for our non-competitive animals as well. Maintaining optimal year-round fitness is beneficial at all levels as it promotes overall well-being and decreases the chance of injury and loss of ability.