The Physical Rehabilitation Service is a program of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. The facility, completed in 2004, was entirely funded by private individuals through the Center for Companion Animal Health (CCAH). Under the supervision of Jackie Woelz, MS, PT, a range of rehabilitation services can be provided to VMTH patients.

Patients come to this service through an internal referral from the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital faculty. The physical therapist completes a functional evaluation and provides individualized, state of the art treatment to optimize functional recovery for neurological, orthopedic and soft tissue trauma patients. Specialized programs have also been designed for the treatment of geriatric conditions, osteoarthritis, and obesity. Consultations are provided for the fabrication of custom orthotics and prosthetics.

Treatment techniques include: Manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, balance and gait training, proprioceptive training, hydrotherapy with underwater treadmills, and modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation and laser.

For more information on this program please see the article beginning on page three in our fall 2005 issue of the CCAH Update, our Center newsletter:

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/CCAH/documents/newsletter_2005_fall.pdf