LASER REHABILITATION

Animal Rehabilitation works much like human rehabilitation. Using Laser Therapy, veterinarians are able to implement rehabilitation treatment plans to restore mobility, strengthen muscles and joints, and help animals heal faster post-operatively while focusing on reducing pain. Laser Therapy may begin prior to surgery, following an injury, or upon referral for a limb deformity. But it is most successful when laser therapy treatments are integrated and coordinated from the beginning, when the initial injury occurs and prior to a surgery being performed. Maintenance laser therapy can be used post rehabilitation to assist continued mobility, strength and fitness

How soon after surgery does Laser Assisted Rehabilitation begin?

The pain-relief and anti-inflammatory phases of Laser Assisted Rehabilitation should start immediately after an injury or surgery. Delaying rehabilitation is generally not beneficial. The strengthening phase of rehabilitation generally starts two weeks after surgery.

Laser Assisted Rehabilitation can help:

• Patients become mobile after a severe orthopedic or neurologic injury
• Patients safely use a painful limb after an injury or surgery
• Improve and prolong the quality of life of geriatric and arthritic patients
• Achieve weight loss in overweight and obese animals
• Manage acute and chronic pain
• Increase the fitness of athletic animals and working dogs
• Provide ambulatory assistance to patients who need ambulation carts, orthotic devices, or prostheses.

At Risk Patients

Some patients are at higher risk of complications or residual problems after injury or surgery. Laser Assisted Rehabilitation provides new treatment options for these patients that include:

• Older animals (who tend to heal less rapidly and become non-ambulatory)
• Miniature breeds (who tend to remain non-weight-bearing for extended periods of time) and giant breeds (who tend to remain non-ambulatory or have mechanical failure of fixation)
• Animals with weak surgical repairs, for example after repairs of joint luxation or Achilles tendon tears
• Animals with multiple injuries or surgeries involving multiple limbs
• Obese animals
• Animals with debilitating metabolic diseases, including diabetes, Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism and immune-mediated diseases.

Aims and Goals of Laser Assisted Rehabilitation

• Assist with weight loss treatment programs for obesity
• Improve function and quality of movement after an injury
• Improve quality of life for the geriatric and arthritic patients
• Improved and prolonged quality of life
• Increase of strength, range of motion, endurance and performance
• Manage acute and chronic pain
• Overall increased speed of recovery
• Reduction of pain, swelling and complications
• Restore mobility post-surgery
Decreases:
• Atrophy
• Muscle Contracture
• Muscle Spasm
• Pain
• Scar Tissue
• Swelling
Increases:


Coordination
Muscle Strength
Range of Motion
Rate of Recovery
Rate of Tissue Healing

Common Conditions Benefiting from Laser Assisted Rehabilitation:

Muscle/Ligament Disorders
Cruciate Ligament Injury & Surgery (most common orthopedic surgery performed in dogs)
Degenerative Myelopathy
Disc disease
Elbow Dysplasia
Fibrocartilagenous Emboli (FCE)
Hip Dysplasia
Muscle Wasting
Tendon/Ligament Injury
Weakness

Orthopedic Disorders
Arthrodesis
Bicipital tendon release
Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) a
Elbow Dysplasia & Surgery
Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO)
Fracture repair
Hip Dysplasia & Surgery
Intervertebral Disc Disease
Osteoarthritis
Patellar Luxation (Knee Cap Dislocation) Repair
Post –operative Hip Surgeries: Total Hip Replacement, TPO, FHO
Post-operative Knee Surgeries: TPLO, TTA, Extracapsular Stabilization,
Trauma/Fractures

Neurologic
Back/Neck pain
Balance/Vestibular Disorders
Coonhound Paralysis
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
Fibrocartilagenous Embolism (FCE)
Hemilaminectomy/Laminectomy/Fenestration/Ventral Slot
Loss of motor control
Paralysis
Peripheral Nerve Injuries
Proprioception deficits
Wobbler’s Disease

Geriatric 
Arthritis
Chronic neurologic conditions
Muscle weakness

Amputation 
Athletic injuries
Ligament/tendon repair
Muscle Tears, Sprains and Strains
Patellar Luxation
Tendonitis
Trauma

Other Indications
Athletic and Working dogs
Conditioning
Geriatric
Improve strength and endurance
Muscle Weakness
Obesity
Pain management
Resolution of performance problems –gait re-training
Wound care

www.gigaalaser.com
lucien@gigaalaser.com

Lucien
Sales manager