Sasha Foster

Sasha Foster is a licensed human physical therapist and certified canine rehabilitation therapist who brings more than two decades of clinical and educational experience to the Colorado State University Veterinary Health System. She joined Colorado State University in 2012 to build and implement a true human physical therapy model within veterinary medicine – a model that is now fully integrated across services and has become a national reference point for interdisciplinary rehabilitation care.

Sasha leads the rehabilitation team within the orthopedic medicine and mobility service, overseeing approximately 100 patient visits each week. Her team supports cases ranging from young puppies with hip dysplasia to patients recovering from emerging orthopedic surgical procedures for which no established treatment protocols yet exist. In these novel or complex cases, she applies her expertise in human physical therapy, movement science, and canine biomechanics to develop individualized, evidence-based rehabilitation plans.

A central focus of Sasha’s work is client education – translating complex clinical findings into accessible, actionable home programs that maximize patient outcomes. Her rehabilitation framework emphasizes gentle handling, functional movement retraining, and sustainable care practices that support both pets and their families.

Sasha is also an inventor and innovator in the field of animal physical therapy. She holds the first method patent in canine rehabilitation for joint-stabilized straight-plane stretching, and she is actively developing new assistive devices and therapeutic tools designed to enhance quality of life for pets, their people, and the planet. Her work bridges human physical therapy evidence with veterinary practice, advancing translational rehabilitation science within the university setting.

As pets across critical care, oncology, neurology, internal medicine, and orthopedics receive medical treatment, Sasha and her team provide the rehabilitative support that helps patients regain mobility, comfort, and function – so they can return home moving and feeling their best.