Kirsten Haeusler is a rehabilitation specialist for animals, from Germany, with over a decade of experience in animal physical therapy. At her clinic in Stuttgart, she sees a lot of orthopedic and neurologic cases referred by various veterinary clinics in and around Stuttgart.
She obtained a degree in Agricultural Biology from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, focusing on Animal Behavior and Animal Nutrition in 2004. A Ph.D. followed this in Animal Science with a specialization in the Motivational Behavior of animals from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, and graduated in 2006.
She was always inclined to animal science, veterinary medicine, and animal physical therapy growing up. However, her real passion came to life when she enrolled in the Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner Class in 2006 and received her Certificate as a CCRP in 2008 from the University of Tennessee, USA.
In 2018 at the IARVPT World Rehab Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee, she held a workshop on shockwave assisted fascia treatment in animals. That same year she was invited to talk at the WVOC in Barcelona about “The Art and Science of Shockwave.”
Part of her research involves applying, improving, and investigating therapies, such as treatment on the underwater treadmill, a regular treadmill, shockwave therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field, etc., to animals for post-illness rehabilitation and recovery treatments.
To intensify her studies regarding shockwave therapy in the clinic and in the scientific field, in 2017, she was invited to collaborate with Professor M. Allen at the Surgical Discovery Center at the University of Cambridge, UK.
In 2019 she was invited to be part of a study with Professor Martin Fischer and his team at the University of Jena (also known as “Dogs in Motion“), Germany. These studies aim to evaluate gait in dogs using biplanar fluoroscopy, force plates, and pressure-sensitive treadmills. In May 2021 the group started another study to evaluate developing gait patterns in growing canines of different breeds.
