Manual Therapy Techniques

We use a variety of manual therapy techniques to help your pet get the most out of her rehabilitation sessions at Scout’s House, including:

Joint Mobilization
Joint mobilization is a highly specialized activity that is only performed by our Director of Rehab Therapy, Krista Niebaum, MPT, CCRT. For pets with stiff joints, Krista loosens the surrounding tissues that restrict the joints by carefully and repeatedly moving the two surfaces of the joint itself. Done correctly, joint mobilizations can increase range of motion, improve proprioceptive input to the neurological system, and reduce pain.

Range of Motion (ROM) Exercises
By design, a joint should move through a variety of angles and motions. But in rehabilitating pets, joints are often restricted in their ability to move, causing decreased range of motion and limited functionality. At Scout’s House, we’ll help your pet regain his ROM by manually moving his joints to a comfortable end range, or by coaxing him through a series of activities specially designed to get him to actively increase his ROM.

Scar-Tissue Remodeling
With scar-tissue remodeling, we gently massage and stretch newly formed scar tissue, often created by injury or surgery, to model it into a more mobile configuration that allows freer movement.

Cryotherapy and Heat Therapy
Fancy terms for ice and heat, but that shouldn’t diminish the important role these two superficial thermal modalities play in the rehabilitation process.