Manual Therapy

To schedule a Manual Therapy appointment you can simply click the "Request an Appointment" button, or email The Comfort Vet at thecomfortvet@gmail.com, or you can text/call (608) 561-1639 and leave a message.

Be sure to have your pet's primary veterinarian share current medical records for your pet to thecomfortvet@gmail.com ahead of time, if possible.

Please also fill out the Comfort Care Intake Form.

Someone will get back to you within 24-48 hours.

A Manual Therapy exam includes a conventional veterinary physical exam, a full musculoskeletal and neurologic exam, a stance and gait evaluation, as well as joint motion palpation with adjustments using veterinary spinal manipulative therapy (VSMT).

Laser therapy and digital thermal imaging are available for an additional charge.

An initial Manual Therapy session may begin with Digital Thermal Imaging to evaluate for any hidden signs of pain or discomfort. Pre-thermal imaging instructions include:

Companion Animals:

Your pet will need to be acclimated to the environment where the imaging will take place (about 10 minutes)

Your pet will need to be dry. If it is raining or snowing, please plan ahead so that your pet is completely dry for their appointment

Do not brush, or rub your pet until after their exam is finished – friction during or shortly before the appointment will affect the images obtained

Do not hold your pet in your lap immediately before your pet’s exam

Feline patients should remain in their carrier before their exam

Equine Patients:

Bring your horse in from the pasture at least 4 hours before the examination

Ideally, your horse should not have exercised in the past 12 hours

All blankets and leg wraps should be removed 4 hours ahead of the appointment time

All topical treatments should be removed with tepid water, then the skin surface allowed to fully dry before the appointment

Specific pre-treatment preparation for a Cold Laser Therapy treatment is simple and should include removal of any topical applications from the area of the skin to be lasered. If your pet has recently received any injectable medication, please provide that information so that the injection site can be avoided.

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After a Manual Therapy treatment session it is important to allow your pet to rest for at least 24 hours and stay hydrated. As joints are restored and the muscles and nerves re-set, it is necessary to give the body a chance to recalibrate and build strength to help maintain normal function.

When a joint, especially a spinal vertebral joint, is restricted from normal motion, not only is that joint space not being properly nourished, there are also neurologic consequences that may occur. Likely adverse consequences include sensory and motor dysfunction leading to a cascade of events causing muscle spasticity, weakness and pain. Prolonged joint surface immobility can result in adhesions that may further complicate the situation. As an animal compensates for this dysfunction they risk further injury. Manual Therapy to include massage and veterinary spinal manipulative therapy (VSMT) helps by relaxing stressed muscles and restoring improved mobility into restricted joints.

Manual Therapy using veterinary spinal manipulative therapy (VSMT) helps restore normal range of joint motion by providing a high velocity, low amplitude thrust into a specific joint motion unit. This procedure "gaps" the joint, breaking up adhesions and restoring motion so that the nervous system can re-establish normal communication pathways and pain modulation. The procedure may cause some initial discomfort, however it is gentle and non-invasive. The goal is to re-establish normal joint motion and restore natural pain modulation and internal homeostasis.

Conditions that respond well to Manual Therapy:

• Neck and back pain

• Leg pain

• Muscle spasms, twitching and tenderness

• Muscle atrophy and weakness

• Injury from exercise or trauma

• Incontinence (fecal or urinary)

Initial treatment sessions can take up to an hour. This includes a physical, musculoskeletal and neurologic examination, stance and gait evaluations for lameness, then joint motion palpation with adjustments. Some animals may benefit from the addition of cold laser therapy. Follow-up treatments can range from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the animal's condition and if laser therapy is needed.

Treatment intervals are dependent on the condition being treated and the animal’s individual response. Some patients have a positive response after just one treatment, but most require several treatments before a noticeable improvement will be seen. It is generally recommended to plan for a minimum of 2 to 3 treatments spaced about 2 to 4 weeks apart for conditions that are chronic, before expecting to see a noticeable response. Once improvement begins, treatment intervals can be tapered to the individual needs of the patient.