Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine

About Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine

The Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation & Fitness Service at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, the only facility of its kind in New York City, provides innovative and state-of-the-art therapies to help return dogs, cats, and other pets to higher levels of functional mobility and improved quality of life. Our facility employs veterinary staff certified in canine rehabilitation (including 4 veterinarians and 2 licensed veterinary technicians) in order to offer the most advanced expert care.

Services & Treatments

We specialize in non-invasive and stress-free therapies to ensure positive outcomes including:

  • Acupuncture
  • Massage
  • Reiki
  • Rehabilitation modalities to reduce pain and speed healing
  • Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy
  • Platelet Rich Plasma therapy
  • Stem cell therapy
  • Custom measurements for carts, orthotics and prosthetic fitting

Equipment

Our state-of-the-art facility is equipped with:

  • Two underwater treadmills
  • A land-based treadmill
  • A hydrotherapy tub with whirlpool jets
  • Deep-tissue ultrasound
  • Electro-hydrotherapy (mild stimulation for muscles and limbs)
  • Extracorporeal shockwave therapy
  • Cold therapeutic laser and Class IV lasers
  • Electrical muscle stimulation
  • TENS (trans electrical nerve stimulation) for pain relief

View videos of pets receiving treatment in our facility.

Notes from Integrative and Rehabilitative Medicine

An Inside Look at Veterinary Rehabilitation

A behind-the-scenes look at the wide-ranging and life-changing work of Dr. Leilani Alvarez, Director of the Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation & Fitness Service, and her team at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center.

Complementary & Alternative Medicine

The Animal Medical Center offers treatment options that fall outside of conventional medicine. Integrative Medicine combines conventional approaches with complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies in order to help reach the best outcomes. CAM therapies are not meant to replace conventional therapies but work in concert with your pet’s current medical treatment. Some of our offerings include acupuncture, herbal therapy, platelet rich plasma, and stem cell therapy. All of our integrative medicine treatment options are offered in accordance with American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines. Talk to your veterinarian for more information.

Benefits of Treatment

The benefits of rehabilitation extend to animals that are elderly, arthritic, post-surgical, neurologically impaired, athletic, and obese. Rehabilitation is particularly effective in the areas of weight reduction; increased mobility, flexibility, and muscle strength; improved muscle and neurological function; reduction of pain; and decreased post-surgery recovery time. Some of the major benefits of treatment include:

  • Pain relief
  • Prevention of muscle atrophy
  • Improved circulation
  • Strengthening muscles
  • Safe weight loss and diet regimens
  • Faster recovery and improved healing after injury

Exercise Posters for Dogs and Cats

Improve your pet’s fitness at home and maintain the well-being and quality of life of your pet. Download and print these posters:

Dog Fitness Poster

Cat Fitness Poster

Our Team

Dr. Leilani Alvarez of the Animal Medical Center in New York City

DVM, DACVSMR

Director of The Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation and Fitness Service
Service Head of Integrative & Rehabilitative Medicine
Integrative & Rehabilitative Medicine Residency Program Director

DVM

Resident Veterinarian

DVM

Resident Veterinarian

DVM

Senior Veterinarian