Digital thermography evaluation is included in all orthopedic, rehab, and spinal manipulation therapies performed in a temperature controlled environment.
See pain in a different light - digital thermal imaging using the advanced, top of the line Digatherm Digital Thermal Imaging unit!
The first part of managing pain is appropriately diagnosing it. The way JRIVS starts this process in dogs, cats, and horses is by using digital thermography.
There are dozens of thermography units out there, but there is only one Digatherm! The IR Tablet 640 is designed for the highest resolution to see clearer, using 327,680 points of temperature. This allows for the most reference points for patient symmetry to allow the animal to show us what hurts! This is the real deal, and it is no cell phone app!
Digital thermography compiles and analyzes the radiated energy coming from a patient using infrared light. There is no radiation, therefore no harm will come to the patient!
Different levels of radiated energy are interpreted by the digital thermal imaging device and represented as different colors or shades of grey on the computer monitor. This image is called a thermogram. The range and intensity of colors in the thermogram is called a thermal gradient.
A thermogram provides a physiological picture of the area being examined. Structure and function, trauma, and acute and chronic conditions will all change the circulatory activity of the area examined, and produce changes in the thermogram. Not only can these changes illustrate inflammation, but they also illustrate increases or decreases in nerve function. Thermograms not only determine what areas need closer examination, but they also provide a quantitative measurement for functional improvement.
The first part of managing pain is appropriately diagnosing it. The way JRIVS starts this process in dogs, cats, and horses is by using digital thermography.
There are dozens of thermography units out there, but there is only one Digatherm! The IR Tablet 640 is designed for the highest resolution to see clearer, using 327,680 points of temperature. This allows for the most reference points for patient symmetry to allow the animal to show us what hurts! This is the real deal, and it is no cell phone app!
Digital thermography compiles and analyzes the radiated energy coming from a patient using infrared light. There is no radiation, therefore no harm will come to the patient!
Different levels of radiated energy are interpreted by the digital thermal imaging device and represented as different colors or shades of grey on the computer monitor. This image is called a thermogram. The range and intensity of colors in the thermogram is called a thermal gradient.
A thermogram provides a physiological picture of the area being examined. Structure and function, trauma, and acute and chronic conditions will all change the circulatory activity of the area examined, and produce changes in the thermogram. Not only can these changes illustrate inflammation, but they also illustrate increases or decreases in nerve function. Thermograms not only determine what areas need closer examination, but they also provide a quantitative measurement for functional improvement.
This image is over the neck of a dog. The blue indicates a cold area, which tells us there is decreased blood flow and nerve activity. This correlates with the dogs clinical signs of decreased reflexes in its right front foot.
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This is a image just a little further down the back of the dog. It shows that the disc injury at cervical vertebrae 5-7 has affected the nerve supply to the musculature of the right thorax. We will use digital thermography to monitor this dogs progress.
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The increased red color indicates inflammation on the side of a dogs chest. This specific area is actually inflammation induced by a hypomobile rib aka subluxation aka a rib is out! This resolved after spinal manipulation aka animal chiropractic.
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This image is of the groin of a dog. The red and white indicates heat in the pectineous muscle, which correlated with the animals clinical signs. This same image will be taken at rechecks, and along with clinical signs and palpation findings, will be used to monitor improvement in this common injury.
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Thermal imaging is not just for the body. This image is used to illustrate the stance analyzer aspect of the Digatherm. The dog will stand in one location in its normal, comfortable stance. Then it will quickly be moved away. The heat the animal conducted into the floor will then be illustrated in the thermal image. As you can see here, the paws on the left are the front feet. They have more red in them. This is normal, as dogs naturally carry 60% of their body weight in their front end. There is a slight difference in the weight bearing of this dogs left hind and right hind, indicating maybe the left hind is of concern.
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Color isn't everything! The most important thing to remember when thermal imaging an animal is it is NOT about the color - it is about symmetry! Some not well trained in the diversity and techniques of thermography would assume that since this long-haired dogs heat signature is more blue that it must have neurological issues (blue, purple, and black are cold). Nope! This dog is nice and symmetrical. What does show up are areas of hypomobilitity that correlate with adjustments that were found, as well as soft tissue inflammation. However, a thermogram should ALWAYS be correlated with the full physical exam findings to rule out any neurological dysfunction!
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