REHAB SERVICES
What to Expect:
All patients at Red Sage Integrative Veterinary Partners are warmly welcomed into a safe and relaxed setting with the goal of building mutual trust. We assess each patient as an individual and meet them where they are comfortable, exams can be as short as a few minutes or spread over multiple visits depending on individual needs. We often learn as much about the pet by listening to the owner as we do from our assessment! Assessments may include watching them walk (run, play, or sit, home videos are also great!), a comprehensive physical exam including both an orthopedic and neurological assessment, myofascial (muscles and soft tissue) assessment, joint range of motion and comfort, spinal assessment, and other diagnostics as indicated for the unique pet. We localize the areas of limited mobility, pain, dysfunction, and restriction. We combine this with the report from home and the primary care veterinarian (or other specialists involved in the case) and any diagnostics we have like blood work or x-rays. Based on these findings we draw on a wide variety of tools to come up with a care plan. The plan involves the owner, patient, veterinarian, therapist, and other caretakers as needed. It is a team effort!
Below are listed a sampling of the services we offer and draw on to create our plans, this list is dynamic as we are constantly learning more and adding more and we will try to keep it updated, if there is something you are interested in and don't see, please don't hesitate to ask us!
Pain Assessment
Pain assessment in animals is notoriously difficult and is critical to an effective care plan. Animals can range from being exceptionally sensitive to very stoic and their responses to pain are very individual. Signs can be as subtle as not wanting to jump up or as severe as crying out. We work hard to decode animal pain to be better able to treat it.
There are many types of pain that can be localized to a single area or affect many parts of a patient's body. We use a variety of tools to localize and characterize pain in our patients.
Medical Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the placement of small filamentous needles in to specific areas and points on the body based on a sound understanding of anatomy and physiology. The interaction of the needles and tissues can help relieve pain and muscle tension, improve neurological function, and regulate body systems like the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system.
Acupuncture is generally very well tolerated by pets and contributes to a general sense of wellbeing.
Veterinary Rehabilition
The goal of veterinary rehabilitation is to achieve the highest level of function, independence and quality of life possible for the patient and uses a variety of techniques and modalities to reach those goals. It benefits patients with a wide variety of conditions/diseases and injuries, but is also valuable in conditioning working and athlete dogs! Modalities include therapeutic laser, electromagnetic field, TENS/NMES, therapeutic exercises, and many more!
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shockwave therapy (ECSWT) is a noninvasive treatment that involves delivery of shock waves
(similar to sounds waves) to injured tissues and joints to reduce pain and promote healing. A wide variety of cell types within the body respond to this mechanical stimulation leading to changes in joint health, muscle tension, blood flow, and comfort/mobility. Often this treatment requires sedation to be performed, but with the unit we use at Red Sage there is no sedation required.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, uses specific wavelength(s) of light to stimulate tissues. Animal cells, like plant cells, can respond to light and produce ATP, the primary energy unit of the cell. Cells with more ATP can function more normally. Laser therapy improves blood flow, reduces pain and inflammation, and facilitates healing. Laser can be done in the clinic or we have the option to rent a laser to have for home use.
Regenerative Medicine
This group of treatments use the body’s own cells and proteins to promote healing. Cells can be harvested from a patient by either a simple blood draw or through harvesting of bone marrow and using cutting edge technology, the cells and proteins are specially prepared for therapeutic use. The preparations are then injected in to joints and soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments to help facilitate healing, control inflammation, and promote long term joint/tissue health.
Nutrition and Supplements
"We are what we eat" and " food is medicine", these old adages also apply to our pets. We consider nutrition, supplements, and a healthy weight, to all be critical in a patient's overall health and well being. We do extensive research on quality, safety, and efficacy of supplements and individualize a regimen as needed depending on the patients and their conditions. There is a lot of confusion and unknowns in the ever growing pet supplement market place and we are glad to help navigate those waters.
Bracing and Orthotics
Often an injury and mobility issue would benefit from the external support of a brace, prosthetic, or orthotic. We work with a variety of brcing companies and orthotists to find the appropriate, safe, comfortable, and usable support needed for your specific patient. These range from assist carts/wheelchairs, knee braces, wrist and ankle support, and also devices for patients with abnormal limbs that require a more creative individualized approach.
Therapeutic Exerise and Athletic Conditioning
Movement is complex and involves numerous body systems functioning together in well choreographed unison. When one system, like the nervous system or musculoskeletal system, has an injury or deficit all other systems are affected and comfortable, efficient movement is not possible. Carefully individualized and dynamic exercise plans help address these deficits in muscle mass, strength, flexibility, proprioception (body awareness) and improve overall mobility and regain balance of efficient movement. Exercise plans apply to the patient who has completely lost the ability to walk and also the athlete recovering from a minor injury or looking to prevent future injury. Exercises sessions are done in clinic and serve as a guide for the development of a home plan that can build on what is done at the clinic.
Manual Therapy
Manual therapy involves movement of soft tissues (muscles, fascia, nerves, etc.) and joints to help achieve more mobility/function and address pain. It involves skilled diagnosis of mobility and functional restrictions to guide the careful application of movement and appropriate pressure to the tissues. Massage and chiropractic therapies both fall into this catagory.
Aromatherpay and Essential Oils
Use of essential oils can be enjoyable, but can also be therapeutic when applied in specific ways. Essential oil use is rewarding and enjoyable but should be done with patient-specific safety in mind. Visit with our team to learn more about the types of essential oil use that are appropriate for your pet.
Animal
Chiropractic
Animal Chiropractic is the use of high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) adjustments to restore normal movements within a joint. These "fixations" or loss of normal movement can result in reduced blood flow and nervous input to the areas that they supply including the musculoskeletal system and vital internal organs. The adjustment restores normal flow of neurologic input and nutrients to the deficient area, improving comfort as well as function. Most animals retain their adjustments much longer than people and adjustment every 3-4 weeks is optimal to maintain health and mobility.
Dr. Lindsey Porterfield is certified through the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association and is passionate about and ecstatic to bring chiropractic care to the Red Sage family.
