Rehabilitation Services

Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture needles placed in particular areas of the horse influence the nervous system, restoring function and stimulating circulatory and immune systems. Acupuncture is used for a broad spectrum of applications:

• Pain from musculoskeletal injury or disease.
• Gastrointestinal disease or other internal organ dysfunctions.
• Allergy or immune-mediate disease.
• Fear and anxiety.

Malalignment of the horse's skeletal structure causes performance issues, affects gait, and negatively affects organs and nerve pathways. Chiropractic therapy, which uses quick, low-intensity, precisely placed adjustments to restore structure and function, can be used to accomplish the following:

• Improve lameness and gait abnormalities.
• Improve muscle function.
• Improve response to infections by improving immune function.
• Correct undesirable behavioral issues.

Penetrating the skin with no heat or incision, therapeutic lasers use photobiostimulation to accelerate the body's natural healing process and reduce pain. This noninvasive, non-pharmacological, scientifically proven rehabilitation therapy can achieve the following:

• Restore diseased or injured cells, assisting healing at a cellular level.
• Reduce post-surgical pain and inflammation, shorten recovery time, and reduce scar-tissue formation.
• Treat muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries.
• Hasten wound healing.
• Reduce pain associated with degenerative joint disease or back pain.
• Stimulate acupuncture points prior to needling.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a high-energy acoustic pressure technology, delivering pulses of energy via a fluid medium to stimulate healing and relieve pain. ESWT is used in the treatment of the following:

• Muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries, decreasing inflammation, repairing tissues, and improving quality of healing.
• Alleviating pain associated with degenerative joint disease.
• Stimulating bone remodeling by increasing blood flow to bone-ligament junctions.

Hot and cold therapy has long been considered the go-to remedy for orthopedic discomfort in the horse. Recent equipment advances combine massage, which improves vascular and lymphatic circulation.

Warm therapy improves blood flow and elasticity of tissues, which is beneficial in chronic conditions. Cold therapy decreases blood flow and inflammation, which is beneficial in acute injuries. Since there is no direct contact with water or other source of moisture, there is no risk of skin or hoof complications.

Specialized thermotherapy units are designed to help reduce and prevent joint disease, muscle strains, and ligament and tendon injury:

• Cold therapy in combination with rest and compression decreases tissue damage, swelling, muscle spasm, and pain, reducing severity of acute injury and speeding recovery time.
• Warm therapy decreases stiffness in soft tissues, improving suppleness of tendons, ligaments, and joints.

TheraPlate whole-body vibrational therapy is a dynamic physiotherapy to treat the entire horse in a time-efficient and effective way. The horse stands on the floor that provides a subtle vortex-wave motion. Horses enjoy this powerful, but gentle treatment, which can accomplish the following:

• Decrease inflammation and reduce pain.
• Improve healing time.
• Increase bone strength and density.
• Improve joint health.
• Increase hoof growth.
• Improve balance.
• Reduce stress.

Therapeutic kinesiology taping is used during injury rehabilitation. Kinesiology tape lifts and decompresses tissues, increasing oxygenation and blood flow without restricting range of motion. K-tape can be used to

• Decrease inflammation and improve lymphatic circulation.
• Increase blood flow.
• Decrease muscle tension and spasm.
• Decrease edema.
• Support tendons, ligaments, and joints during injury rehabilitation.
• Relieve chronic stiffness.