Patient Spotlight: Romeo
Romeo is a 13-year-old Pomeranian who came to BARC in October 2021 with severe instability and weakness of all four limbs. Prior to coming to BARC, Romeo had three surgeries along his neck and back to relieve spinal cord compression caused by degenerative disc disease throughout the spine. While the surgeries prevented complete paralysis, the disease left him severely disabled, and he continued to have episodes of pain and loss of function throughout the years.
Romeo’s initial physical rehabilitation sessions focused on relieving pain and inflammation through the use of acupuncture, LASER therapy, Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields and gentle manual therapies.His sessions then progressed to focus on stability during standing, walking and transitional movements. This process was facilitated by skilled manual techniques and individualized therapeutic exercises that focused on re-training muscle recruitment, proprioception (learning where his limbs are in space), motor control, balance and coordination. Romeo is now fully ambulatory in all four of his limbs and he is getting stronger and more stable with each session. He has progressed to more advanced therapeutic exercises that focus on stability during changes in direction, obstacle negotiation and unstable surfaces. He is also about to begin training in the underwater treadmill, which will further develop his strength and stability in a low impact environment.
Romeo and his owner have worked so hard to get him back to where he is today and we are so proud of them both! We can’t wait to continue our journey with Romeo as he continues to improve!
