The Sports Injury Rehabilitation Strategies table topic session at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual Meeting, held Nov. 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas, opened with an update on the requirements for eligibility to sit the certification exam for the ACVSMR (American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation). The requirements are available at www.vsmr.org. The first board exam will take place in May 2012. Application for the exam has closed with 33 qualified applicants; however, interested members were directed to the table topic the following day specifically outlining the future process.

A brief discussion followed regarding the new AAEP online forum discussions and the expected improvement for future communication among interested members compared with the rehabilitation list serve previously in place.

Participants selected specific case types to discuss, including distal limb soft tissue injuries, joint injuries both post-operative and post-trauma with specific mention of the stifle joint, osteopathies, disorders of the axial skeleton including neck and back pain and sacroiliac (pelvic area) issues, foot balance considerations during rehabilitation and respiratory rehabilitation for post-operative and post-disease process cases.

Regarding soft tissue and joint injuries, attendees discussed MRI and ultrasonography’s value for diagnosing soft tissue and joint injuries, with MRI providing more global information and ultrasonography providing tissue architecture detail and repeatability for monitoring the healing process