Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used in human medicine for over 5,000 years, and in animals for over 3,000 years. Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles at specific points in the body to create a physiological change and is a viable medical option for many medical conditions. When an acupuncture needle is inserted, there is a cascade of reactions in the body. Some of the chemicals released cause muscle contractions directly around the needle. Acupuncture in rehabilitation is used to relieve pain and muscle spasms, and to increase nerve regeneration and circulation.

Chiropractic

Animal chiropractic is based on the biomechanics of the spine and nervous system, which is used to relieve chiropractic subluxations. The characteristics of a chiropractic subluxation include:

• Loss of joint motion between the vertebrae
• Pain on pressure of the vertebrae
• Increased or decreased tone of the muscles surrounding the vertebrae

The goal of animal chiropractic is to restore normal joint motion with an adjustment involving a controlled, high velocity thrust over a specific joint, (most commonly involving the joints between the vertebrae or backbones), and to aid in neurological reprogramming. Depending upon the duration and severity of the subluxation pattern, a series of adjustments allows gradual restoration of the biomechanic and neurological function. Animal chiropractic is commonly used for back and neck pain, but is also useful for animals with an abnormal gait, which can be caused by a limb injury or arthritis

Cryotherapy

Muscle spasms and pain are common responses to injury. The basic material of muscles, tendons, and ligaments is a protein called collagen. Collagen stretches with applied tension and returns to normal when tension is released. However, when the collagen is stretched too far, it tears. In this process, blood vessels are torn allowing blood cells and fluid to escape into spaces among the muscle fibers causing swelling and bruised areas. Cryotherapy decreases the flow of this fluid into the tissue, slowing the release of chemicals that cause pain and inflammation. Cryotherapy also:

• Decreases feeling by reducing the ability of the nerve endings to conduct impulses
• Reduces pain by countering the injury
• Decreases cell activity reducing swelling and internal bleeding at the site of injury
• Reduces muscle spasms by reducing the muscle's ability to maintain a contraction

Conditioning

Dogs love to eat, and because they enjoy their food, it's fun to feed them. However, as they gain weight, they become less active. As middle age approaches, lameness problems usually make it difficult to move around.There may be a greater likelihood of diabetes, respiratory problems, heart trouble and other diseases. Exercise is as important for preventative care as it is to rehabilitation. It is essential for maximizing your pet’s life span as well as preventing and managing degenerative and debilitating orthopedic/neurologic conditions. The Canine Health Institute offers exercise programs that increase muscle strength and neurological re-education programs. Our highly trained staff will develop a customized exercise program that will help achieve your pet’s ideal body condition while improving their quality of life.

Heat Therapy

Like cryotherapy, heat therapy is used to decrease pain, inflammation and speed the healing process. The primary difference is cryotherapy is used by itself during phase one inflammation, and heat therapy is typically used along with cryotherapy during phase two inflammations. Heat therapy is the use of moldable heat packs or warm, moist towels with benefits that include:

• Increases the collagen's ability to stretch
• Increases blood flow
• Decreases pain
• Increases enzyme activity
• Increases muscle contractility and stretching capability

Hydro-Therapy Underwater Treadmill

Hydro-treadmill therapy is the use of an underwater treadmill for strengthening and reeducation of the dog's limbs. Hydro-treadmill therapy provides the ability to strengthen the patient's muscles in an environment of little to no pressure on the joints, due to the buoyancy of the water. When placed in a warm water environment, it also increases flexibility, mobility, and contractility of the muscles, as well as circulation. Benefits of hydro-treadmill include:

• Earlier return to exercise post-surgically
• Strengthening of the muscles surrounding painful joints in arthritic patients
• Weight-loss

When the patient walks on the hydro-treadmill, they tend to move their limbs using an exaggerated range of motion, providing additional therapeutic benefits.

Land Treadmill

A specially developed canine land treadmill increases strength, balance and coordination. This form of therapy is beneficial at certain stages of post-joint surgery rehabilitation for the stimulation of bone growth and strengthening. Land treadmill allows a patient to concentrate efforts to specific muscle groups.

Laser Therapy

This therapy uses laser wavelengths that reach deep into tissue to irradiate affected areas. It focuses on the interdependent relationship between the nerve network, lymphatic and circulatory systems. Laser Therapy targets the lymphatic system causing swelling to be reduced. This quickly allows movement to return to treated areas.

Massage

The benefits of therapeutic massage for our patients mirrors those benefits people receive:

• Improved circulation
• Reduction in muscle knots and spasms
• Reduction in anxiety and stress
• Improved relaxation and sleep
• Reduction of pain

By doing the above, patients are put in a position to gain the most from other forms of therapy. For example, if the patient needs improved range of motion in a joint through passive range of motion exercises, the relaxation, reduction in pain, and reduction in anxiety will enhance the efficacy of the exercises. For this reason, massage is usually used in conjunction with other therapies. To further improve the benefits of the massage for those patients who would be receiving hydro-treadmill therapy, the massage can be performed in a therapy pool, aided by the warm water and massage jets.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is the application of a low level electrical current that results in a muscle contraction. This is achieved by placing electrodes at the beginning and end of the muscle. These muscle contractions can be used to mimic strength training for animals that are non-weight bearing or have limited use of a muscle or muscle group. NMES is used to prevent atrophy post surgery or injury, or to increase strength for muscles that have been chronically underutilized. NMES is commonly used in paretic dogs or dogs post surgically before they are weight bearing and during re-education of ambulation.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound is the use of sound waves that are passed through tissue creating certain physiological effects. Used together with medication therapeutic ultrasound is termed phonophoresis. Phonophoresis delivers the medication through the skin, which allows the delivery to take place at the local level, reducing side affects related to oral or injectable delivery. The uses of therapeutic ultrasound include:

• Increasing circulation
• Increasing contractility of muscle fibers
• Increasing range of motion
• Decreasing scar tissue
• Decreasing pain and muscle spasm
• Decreasing inflammation
• Accelerating wound healing

Weight Management

Veterinarians agree that canine obesity is likely the most important health risk and does more to limit life expectancy than all other factors. Canine Health Institute will work closely with you and your veterinarian to establish exercise, behavioral education and nutrition programs.

Stem Cell Therapy

Stem Cell technology delivers a functionally diverse cell population able to communicate with other cells in their local environment. It’s a complex, yet balanced, approach to a therapeutic goal. Unlike traditional medicine, in which one drug targets one receptor, regenerative medicine can be applied in a wide variety of traumatic and developmental diseases. The following uses have been implemented with favorable outcomes:

• Osteoarthritis - hip, elbow, knee
• Immune mediated rheumatoid arthritis
  

Interventional Pain Management

Used for decades in the human care arena, interventional pain management is one of the foundations of medical care. Relief of your pet’s pain is one of Canine Health Institute’s primary missions. Techniques include selective spinal injections such as nerve root, sleeve blocks and epidural steroid injections as well as large joint intraarticular injections. All injections are performed with a state-of-the-art C-arm to insure ideal needle placement.

Diagnostic Imaging

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Computed Tomography (CT)