104 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
The AARV affiliate organization, the American
Association of Rehabilitation Veterinary Techni
cians (AARVT), was established in April 2011,
and the Academy of Physical Rehabilitation
Veterinary Technicians (APRVT) is a specialty
organization for technicians approved in 2017.
American College of Veterinary Sports
Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR)
The American College of Veterinary Sports
Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) was
approved as a new College under the American
Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) by the
American Veterinary Medical Association
(AVMA) in April 2010. The first diplomates
were installed in 2012 and included veterinarians
from North America and Europe, although
application is open worldwide. Specialties
include certificates in either canine or equine
rehabilitation and sports medicine. There are
two routes to qualification, either a nontradi
tional or a traditional residency. The purpose of
the ACVSMR is to “meet the unique needs of
athletic and working animals and all animals
in need of rehabilitation.” The growth of the
ACVSMR has led to parallel growth of rehabili
tation and sports medicine education and clini
cal programs in teaching hospitals and specialty
and referral practices as 3–6‐year ACVSMR
residencies are established in these facilities
(American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine
and Rehabilitation, 2010–2017).
International Association of Veterinary
Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy (IAVRPT)
In August 1999, the first International Symposium
for Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation in
Veterinary Medicine was held at Oregon
State University, with 300 participants from
21 countries. The International Association of
Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
(IAVRPT) was officially established in July
2008, in coordination with the International
Symposium, “to provide a forum for the pres
entation of clinical and research information
and discussion of topics related to animal reha
bilitation, to further scientific investigation,
and to promote the continued development of
this specialty area to provide improved quality
of care based on sound evidence” (McGonagle
et al., 2014). These symposia continue to occur
every two years with different countries host
ing each subsequent meeting (International
Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and
Physical Therapy, 2017).
Internationally, there are organizations for
physical therapists practicing in animal reha
bilitation in 11 countries: Australia, Belgium,
Canada, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands,
New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the United
Kingdom, and the United States (McGowan,
2007; McGonagle et al., 2014). In April 2011, the
International Association of Physical Therapists
in Animal Practice (IAPTAP) was established as
a subgroup of the World Congress for Physical
Therapy (WCPT) to “foster collaboration among
physical therapists worldwide and to share
information relating to research, education, and
practice” (McGonagle et al., 2014; World
Confederation for Physical Therapy, 2017).
Canine rehabilitation and sports medicine
professionals have presented at conferences
worldwide, including the International Racing
Greyhound Symposium (now the International
Canine Sports Medicine Symposium at the
Veterinary Meeting and Expo, VMX), APTA
Annual Conference and Combined Sections
Meeting (CSM), American College of Veterinary
Surgeons (ACVS) Symposium, Symposium on
Therapeutic Advances in Animal Rehabilitation
(STAAR), and Veterinary Orthopedic Society
conference (McGonagle et al., 2014).Physical therapy principles of patient
managementDisablement modelManagement of the canine rehabilitation and
sports medicine patient is through means of
the Disablement Model, as established by the
World Health Organization, focusing on the
factors affecting an individual’s ability to
perform daily tasks that are usual, customary,
essential, and desirable to that being. This
results in a more functional emphasis than
pathological or medical diagnostic focus of
evaluation and treatment. Efforts are geared
toward optimizing the patient’s response to
rehabilitation interventions with eventual reso
lution of the patient’s functional limitation.