When your pet requires orthopedic surgery he or
she will suffer from dissuse of the affected limb.
Beginning at the time of injury, dissuse can continue until
long after surgical correction. Your pet's dissuse causes
muscle atrophy or shrinking, contraction of ligaments and
tendons and the increased development of scar tissue. Without
proper post surgical rehabilitation therapy these unwanted
complications can become permanent thus dramatically affecting
your pet's quality of life.
The purpose of rehabilitation medicine is to prevent and/or
correct these unwanted sequela. Initially, aggressive
pain management is the center of rehabilitation. Pain in your
companion can be reduced and controlled with simple things such as
ice, TENs units, to more complex therapies using
combinations of specific analgesic medications. Once
pain is under control, therapy can be started to decrease the
affects of dissuse. Controlled exercise with equipment such
as the underwater treadmill and cavaletties help restore normal
function to the injured limb. Along with rehabilitative
exercises, stetching and massage prevent tissue contraction and the
development of motion-inhibiting scar tissue formation.
The following is a list of some of the common orthopedic
conditions that are helped in rehabilitation medicine.
- Cranial cruciate disease and injury including Tibial Plateau
Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) and Extracapsular repairs
- Patellar luxations
- Tendon and ligament injuries
- Fracture repair including internal and external fixation
- Conditions requiring Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO)
- Hip replacement surgery
- Surgery for treatment of elbow dysplasias
- Surgery for the treatment of hip dysplasias including Triple
Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO)
- Rear limb and forelimb amputation
- Surgical corrections of limb deformities
