About AARV - Spotlight Practice

June 2017 Spotlight Practice

VSC Athletic Center

Buffalo Grove, Illinois

AARV Members:
Lindsay Seilheimer, DVM, CCRP
Mitchell Robbins, DVM, DACVS, DACCT

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At Veterinary Specialty Center we tap into our passion every day. Whether it’s caring for our patients or volunteering in the community, that spirit is evident every day, especially in the rehabilitation department. After 15 years of building our program at our independently-owned, multidisciplinary specialty and emergency practice located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, we opened our new 8,600-square-foot VSC Athletic Center in July 2016. Located just one block west of our main location, this new facility features a 3,600-square-foot gym for physical rehabilitation, which has enabled us to expand our services to include strengthening and core conditioning.

Our rehabilitation team's focus has expanded from physical rehabilitation following surgery to include pain management for patients dealing with arthritis as well as weight management, fitness and conditioning. We use a multi-model approach to offer a range of therapies for patients. The VSC Athletic Center has two underwater treadmills, laser and acoustic compression therapy, E-stim, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), therapeutic ultrasound, acupuncture and massage. We also offer thermography — which is a high-definition digital map that detects some conditions and abnormalities using temperature patterns — as a diagnostic tool. It also helps our team update treatment plans as we continue to monitor the patient healing process. Along with these modalities, we also fit patients for prosthetics and orthotics and make adjustments and provide therapy as they progress with their new device.

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Dr. Lindsay Seilheimer and Ice work on core and strengthening exercises.

Ice works on his mobility using cavalettis.

Max the cat receives acoustic compression therapy.

Bagel and Maxwell receive laser therapy for pain management for arthritis.

Ice gets support during his core exercises.

One of our patients gets fitted for a prosthetic device.

Technician Amanda Santowski works with Ice on swimming therapy in one of our underwater treadmills.

Julie Kasluga, a certified canine massage therapist, massages Maxwell.

Stella in the underwater treadmill.

Lindsay Seilheimer, DVM, CCRP, is the director of rehabilitation services and is an AARV member. VSC's dedication to rehabilitation starts with our surgical team where two surgeons — Mitch Robbins, DVM, DACVS, DACCT (also an AARV member), and David Brdecka, DVM, DACVS, CCRT — have completed the CCRT training. The VSC Athletic Center uses state-of-the-art equipment and diagnostics and low-stress handling in their treatments plans. As part of a large specialty and emergency practice, Dr. Seilheimer and her team also have the benefit of working closely with our specialists on full treatment plans and offering services to augment the healing process of our patients. This team approach enables us to develop individualized plans based on the changing needs of each of our rehabilitation patients.

We recently expanded services to offer the VSC Athletic Club — a health club membership for dogs. A monthly membership fee for their dog includes a health assessment and work with a member of the therapy team twice a week for individualized training that helps build core strength and condition while burning off energy. The program has worked well for young energetic dogs as well as sporting dogs that need to keep active all year round. Outside VSC, our team lectures to students of all ages about the importance of rehabilitation in veterinary medicine and Dr. Seilheimer also provides RACE-approved lectures in the veterinary community. We work closely with various rescues and with a veteran's organization that is training rescue dogs to become service or emotional support dogs.

In the future, the VSC Athletic Center will be focusing on increasing programs for pets that are aging and those struggling with obesity. We will also be expanding programs for dogs involved in agility and other sporting activities. For more information, visit vetspecialty.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on LinkedIn. You can also email our team at rehab@vetspecialty.com or call us at 847-459-7535.

Contact
VSC Athletic Center
1515 Busch Parkway
Buffalo Grove, IL
Phone: 847-459-7535
Email: rehab@vetspecialty.com
Website: vetspecialty.com