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The fifth pillar of Traditional Chinese Medicine, for a healthy and balanced life, is exercise or rehabilitation. At Whole Health we provide these services in the comfort of your home. Dr. Williams was certified in Physical Rehabiliation from the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in Coral Springs, FL and offers these services to Whole Health patients. She will work with you, your pet and your pets primary veterinarian on weight loss and conditioning, increasing/maintaining fitness for our canine athletes and working dogs and speed recovery from injury or surgery. For more information about veterinary rehab, please see the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians website.
In addition, many animals we see are in pain, whether the result of an injury, surgery, or a degenerative condition such as arthritis. In some cases, we can provide alternatives to surgery, and in others, reduce or eliminate the need for prescription pain medication all to create an improved quality of life for your pet.
Generally speaking, the goals of our treatment plans are to increase your pet’s mobility and functionality by increasing range of motion throughout your pet’s joints, decreasing pain wherever he is sore and increasing his overall flexibility.
Just as in human medicine, adequate pain management in animals is necessary to speed healing. Studies have shown that physiologically, pain impedes healing—if the body is in a constant state of pain, the healing process becomes compromised. At Whole Health, managing your pet’s pain goes hand in hand with our rehab protocols, and often reducing your pet’s pain is the first step toward increasing mobility.
Traditionally, veterinary medicine has looked to prescription medications and strict cage rest to manage pain in animals. With advances in physical rehabilitation techniques in both human and veterinary medicine, additional tools and approaches such as acupuncture, herbal therapy, e-stim, PEMF and structured, controlled exercise plans have become an accepted—and proven—means of helping pets more fully and quickly recover from injury, surgery or chronic degenerative conditions. Our approach is to treat our patients using a wide range of treatment options as well as working closely with your pet's primary veterinarian's treatments and recommendations. These treatments include, but are not limited to:
Acupuncture (including electroacupuncture, aquapuncture, and moxibustion)
E-Stim
Herbal Therapy
Massage
Massage increases circulation to improve healing, decrease pain and reduce swelling. Massage can be used for acute or chronic problems; it increases blood flow, which improves oxygen delivery to tissues, and breaks down scar tissue. Massage also promotes mental and physical relaxation.
PEMF (Assisi loop)
Pulsed electromagnetic field technology used for pain, inflammation, wound healing, osteoarthritis, post-surgical healing
Therapeutic exercise
- Passive exercise consists of passive range of motion (PROM) and stretching exercises. These exercises help maintain or improve flexion and extension of joints, help the body's awareness of neuromuscular structure and function, and improve flexibility of muscles, tendons and ligaments. PROM are very important if the patient is not using a body part or has limited movement of a body part.
- Active exercise involves your pet moving himself (with guidance from a human); we work with your pet in our gym, and also instruct you on how to perform these exercises on your pet at home. These exercises work on strengthening, balance, and improving core strength. Some examples include:
- Cavalettis
- Physioball exercises
- Balance board/BOSU exercises
- Therabands
- Weight shifting
- Sit-to-stand exerices
- Standing exercises
- Wheelbarrowing
- Stair climbing
Assistive equipment (i.e., carts, orthotics, prosthetics)
We can evaluate your pet to help you determine whether he or she could benefit from custom fitted splints, braces, carts and even prosthetic limbs, and assist with the measurement, fitting, and use of any of this equipment. Assistive devices can be used to support an injured limb while it heals, to correct a deformity or to encourage correct limb use. Carts are fitted to patients that are paralyzed or unable to walk without support.
What conditions do we treat?
In general, we can help pets who are suffering from:
- Soft tissue injuries such as sprains and strains
- Post-surgical recovery (e.g., cruciate repairs, hip surgery, fracture repairs, back surgery); click here for more
- Neurologic conditions such as bulging discs, degenerative myelopathy, and vestibular disease; click here for more
- Ailments commonly associated with aging (e.g. loss of conditioning, arthritis, hip dysplasia)
- Arthritis or dysplasia
- Tendonitis or bursitis
- Limping, gait abnormalities or a change in quality of movement
- Reluctance to go on walks, play with other pets, or jump on the bed or sofa
- Changes in appetite or behavior that suggest discomfort
- Changes in posture during daily activities
- Obesity or general health concerns
More specifically, we can help pets who have been diagnosed with the following conditions:
- Osteoarthritis
- Obesity
- Hip dysplasia
- Muscle injuries
- Back injuries
- Spinal injury/IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease)
- Spondylosis
- Joint replacements
- Fractures
- Cruciate injury
- Amputation
- Shoulder OCD
- Elbow dysplasia
- Joint dislocation
- Patellar luxation
- Tendon injury
- Peripheral nerve injury
- Neuromuscular disease
- Fibrocartilagenous embolism (FCE)
- Degenerative myelopathy (DM)
- Cauda Equina Syndrome
- Vestibular disorders
Physical Rehabilitation
