My oldest dog turned 10 this year. She is doing great but is starting to slow down a bit. We  hike daily but  I know I need to prioritize  keeping  her core muscles and hind limb muscles strong as she gets older. Keeping these muscles strong will keep  her  getting  in and out of the car, going  up and down stairs safely, and going  on daily hikes with me and her much younger sibling!

As a canine physical therapist I am thrilled when owners bring their dogs come in for home exercise programs for their dogs that are getting older and want to insure that their dogs maintain their strength and mobility for as long as possible. Doing some simple exercises with your best friends can truly lengthening the time we get to enjoy having them in our lives.

Older dogs also benefit from spinal and joint mobility assessment to make sure that there is no restriction creating pain or hindering movement. Freeing up underlying restrictions can suddenly turn your older dog into a pain free version of his/her younger self!

Studies have shown that even dogs with neuromuscular diseases like Degenerative Myopathy have longer lives if they have participated with a Canine Physical therapy program.

Shoulder pain interrupts many of our daily activities and tends to get worse before it gets better without treatment.  Successful treatment of shoulder pain invloves  good assessment of what is causing the shoulder pain.  It involves treating any restrictions involving the  biomechanics of the shoulder girdle, rib cage and  spine.  Treating soft tissue restrictions in the shoulder girdle region also need to be addressed.  Poor posture is often involved with shoulder pain.   Awareness of how your posture effects your shoulder’s function helps to maintain long term health with your shoulder.  Lastly  strengthening your weaker  shoulder muscles  and relaxing tight shoulder muscles will aid in returning you to a pain-free  shoulder!

I offer free physical therapy  craniosacral  assessments for pediatric clients under 6 months old.  Babies can have craniosacral restriction from delivery or the position he/she was in while in the womb.  Craniosacral restrictions can contribute to a variety of issues affecting your baby  including sucking issues, irritability, and  ear aches.  These issues can be quickly resolved  if  the underlying cause is a craniosacral restriction  and is  treated and released.

One common issue a dog owner  seeks out  canine physical therapy for  is unresolved limping.  A good orthopedic evaluation is crucial to understand the underlying cause of the limp.  Many times the limping is caused by compensatory issues; so the dog maybe limping on the right front limb but the cause of the limping maybe coming from an issue in the leg, rib cage or spine.  Once the underlying cause is identified then a treatment plan can be developed to resolve the limping.  This treatment plan should include manual therapy to address any skeletal restrictions discovered in the physical exam as well as a exercise program.  The exercise program can be exercises that the owner does at home with the dog or done at the clinic with the therapist.  Good canine rehabilitation is the path to painfree walking for your dog!

One of the miracles of the physical form is that every body knows every thing.

All the answers lie within your body.  The trick is to listen to them! All the systems of our body are interconnected, the path to better health begins by listening to your body – to all aspects of it: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Through the use of manual therapy, I can identify which tissue systems (neural, vascular, joint, fascial or lymphatic) are not working effectively and to  release restrictions to allow your body to move freely and without pain.