Veterinary Sports Medicine in The Woodlands, TX
Whether your dog competes, works, trains, or simply loves to stay active, changes in movement and performance can be a sign that something isn’t quite right. Our veterinary sports medicine team provides specialized evaluation and individualized treatment to address injuries, pain, lameness, and performance concerns—helping dogs move comfortably and confidently.
Specialized Care for Canine Athletes & Active Dogs
Athletic and working dogs place unique demands on their bodies. Repetitive movements, high-impact activities, quick turns, jumping, running, and intensive training can all contribute to injuries or reveal underlying orthopedic and musculoskeletal concerns.
At the Center for Veterinary Pain Management and Rehabilitation, we work with dogs participating in a variety of activities, including:
- Agility
- Conformation and show
- Dock diving
- Flyball and disc dog
- Field trials and hunting
- Herding
- Obedience and rally
- Search and rescue
- Military, law-enforcement, and other working activities
- Recreational sports and active lifestyles
Your dog doesn’t have to compete to benefit from sports medicine. We also care for active family pets experiencing pain, lameness, mobility changes, or difficulty returning to the activities they love.
When Should My Dog See a Sports Medicine Veterinarian?
You know your dog’s normal movement and behavior better than anyone. Sometimes, the first sign of a problem isn’t an obvious injury—it may simply be a change in how your dog moves, trains, or performs.
A sports medicine evaluation may be beneficial if you notice:
- Limping or lameness during or after activity
- Stiffness or soreness following exercise
- Reluctance to run, jump, climb, or play
- Changes in gait, stride, speed, or endurance
- Difficulty turning or moving in a particular direction
- Decreased performance without an obvious injury
- Repeated or recurring injuries
- Muscle weakness or asymmetry
- Pain or sensitivity when touched
- Difficulty returning to activity after an injury or surgery
For canine athletes, even subtle performance changes can be worth investigating.
Sports Injuries & Conditions We Evaluate
Sports medicine goes beyond treating an injury after it happens. Our goal is to understand why a dog is experiencing pain, lameness, or a change in performance so we can develop an appropriate plan for recovery and long-term function.
We evaluate and manage a variety of concerns, including:
Soft-Tissue Injuries
Muscle, tendon, ligament, and other soft-tissue injuries that can affect comfort, movement, and performance.
Lameness & Performance Changes
Persistent or intermittent lameness, changes in gait, recurring soreness, decreased endurance, and unexplained changes in athletic performance.
Orthopedic Conditions
Joint and orthopedic conditions, including CCL injuries, osteoarthritis, and post-operative orthopedic concerns.
Neurologic & Mobility Concerns
Conditions that may affect strength, coordination, balance, mobility, and overall function.
Performance & Conditioning Needs
Individualized support for strength, flexibility, endurance, conditioning, injury prevention, and return to activity.
A Closer Look at How Your Dog Moves
Finding the source of a performance problem starts with understanding the whole athlete.
Your dog’s evaluation begins with a thorough review of their medical history, activity level, training demands, and the changes you’ve noticed. Our team can then assess movement, mobility, strength, and function to better understand what may be contributing to pain or decreased performance.
Depending on your dog’s individual needs, additional diagnostic evaluation may be recommended to help identify the source of the problem and guide treatment.
From there, we’ll develop a plan based on your dog’s diagnosis, abilities, activity, and goals.
Individualized Sports Medicine Treatment
No two athletes, or injuries, are exactly alike. Treatment is tailored to your dog’s condition and may incorporate a combination of pain management, therapeutic exercise, rehabilitation, and other appropriate therapies.
Our goal is to:
- Reduce pain and discomfort
- Promote healing and recovery
- Restore strength and functional movement
- Improve flexibility, balance, and coordination
- Reduce compensatory movement
- Support safe return to activity
- Improve long-term mobility and quality of life
When appropriate, our team may also teach exercises that can be safely performed at home, allowing you to play an active role in your dog’s recovery.
Performance, Conditioning & Injury Prevention
Veterinary sports medicine isn’t only for injured dogs.
Conditioning can help prepare canine athletes for the physical demands of their sport or activity. By considering your dog’s movement, strength, flexibility, endurance, and individual needs, we can identify areas that may benefit from additional support.
Individualized conditioning may be beneficial for dogs preparing for competition, returning after time away, increasing their activity level, or working to maintain long-term athletic performance.
Expertise in Veterinary Sports Medicine
Your canine athlete deserves a team that understands the unique demands placed on active and working dogs.
Dr. Rick Wall, DVM, DACVSMR, CCRP, CMTPT, is a board-certified specialist in Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. His advanced training and experience allow him to provide specialized evaluation and care for orthopedic, mobility, pain, and performance concerns.
Dr. Kate Stanford, DVM, has completed residency training in Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and has extensive hands-on experience with working and athletic dogs. Her professional interests include military, law-enforcement, personal-protection, sporting, and other working dogs, with a focus on performance, mobility, recovery, and long-term function.
Sports Medicine for Canine Athletes, Working & Show Dogs
For canine athletes, even subtle changes in movement or performance can matter. We work with breeders, handlers, trainers and owners of show, sporting, working and performance dogs to identify injuries, address mobility concerns and help dogs perform comfortably and confidently.
Our sports medicine team provides specialized evaluation and individualized care for dogs participating in:
- Agility, flyball and dock diving
- Conformation and dog shows
- Field trials, hunting and retrieving
- Obedience, rally and other performance sports
- Search and rescue
- Police, military and other working roles
- Other competitive and recreational canine activities
Whether your dog is experiencing an obvious injury, recurring lameness or a subtle change in performance, our goal is to identify the source of the problem and develop a plan that supports recovery, function and a safe return to activity.
For Referring Veterinarians
We welcome referrals for patients experiencing sports-related injuries, persistent or unexplained lameness, soft-tissue injuries, performance changes, orthopedic conditions, mobility concerns, and cases that may benefit from specialized sports medicine or rehabilitation care.
Our team values a collaborative approach and works with referring veterinarians to evaluate patients, develop individualized recommendations, and support continuity of care.
Have questions about a potential referral? Call our team at 281-298-5509.
FAQs
What is veterinary sports medicine?
Veterinary sports medicine focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of injuries that affect a pet’s movement and performance. It can help canine athletes, working dogs, show dogs, and active family pets stay comfortable, mobile, and active.
Does my dog need to be a competitive athlete to benefit from sports medicine?
What are signs my dog may need a sports medicine evaluation?
Signs can include limping, stiffness, soreness after activity, reluctance to jump or run, changes in gait or stride, decreased endurance, difficulty performing certain movements, or an unexplained decline in performance. Even subtle changes can be worth evaluating, especially in highly active dogs.
What types of canine athletes do you treat?
We work with dogs involved in agility, conformation and show, dock diving, flyball, hunting and field trials, herding, obedience, working and service activities, and other competitive or recreational sports.
Can you evaluate my dog if something seems “off,” but they aren't obviously injured?
Can veterinary sports medicine help prevent injuries?
Can you help my dog return to activity after an injury or surgery?
What happens during a veterinary sports medicine evaluation?
Do I need a referral from my primary veterinarian?
A referral is not required to schedule an appointment. However, we welcome collaboration with your primary veterinarian and may request relevant medical records, imaging, or previous treatment information.
Do you work with referring veterinarians?
Yes. We welcome referrals and work collaboratively with primary care veterinarians to evaluate sports-related injuries, lameness, performance changes, orthopedic conditions, and other mobility concerns. Our goal is to provide specialized insight while keeping the referring veterinarian informed about findings and recommendations.