In MOVE, we teach Integrative Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (IRPM). But, what exactly is "Integrative Rehabilitation" and "Physical Medicine"?
Integrative rehabilitation includes medical acupuncture, photomedicine, medical massage, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, and botanical medicine, performed side-by-side with conventional PT techniques.
Physical medicine denotes a branch of medical practices that influence injury and disease by physical, rather than pharmacologic or surgical, means.
IRPM veterinarians work in ways more akin to human physiatrist than a physical therapist. That is, we attend not only to orthopedic and neurologic impairments but also to pain control, neurogenic bowel and bladder problems, autonomic dysreflexia, spasticity management, and more.
Attaining certification in IRPM expands one’s ability to care for patients throughout their lives, from start to finish, even when orthopedic, neurologic, traumatic, or other challenges arise.
In fact, we see the need to upend the prevailing notion that the role for rehab is after surgery. Instead, we recognize IRPM as first-line care.
