Sterling Veterinary Physiotherapy

Can massage improve equine athletic performance? 🐴

The results from my dissertation showed significant improvement in hock flexion following a four week massage regime, which is a really interesting finding following the many months of work that has gone into this research!

I’ve been very quiet on this page for the past couple of months with exams and dissertation going on, but now they’re all finished it’s like a weight off my shoulders!

Let’s hope the weather dries up a bit so we can enjoy some spring sunshine 🤞🏻🌤️

The benefits of Veterinary Physiotherapy 🐴🐶

Vet Physio can be used in many different ways to benefit animals of all shapes and sizes! Whether you compete with your horse or have a beloved family dog, physiotherapy can be beneficial to any animal.

You can discuss all aspects of your pets life with your vet physio and they can point you in the right direction, and help to give your pet the best quality care possible!

More details of the different treatments available can be found in other posts on this page if you want to know more 😄

How can Physiotherapy help your animal? 🐴🐶

Here is a list of some of the benefits of Physiotherapy and what it can do for your animal. We offer a vast range of treatments to be able to target exactly what your animals require, whether it’s rehabilitation and management treatments or general health improvement and quality of life focused. Physiotherapy is for every animal to benefit from, which is why we strive to provide the best treatments possible that are tailored to each individual.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year! 🎄🍾
However you choose to spend this festive season, we hope you have a lovely time ❤️

From the Sterling vet physio bunch x

Today was the last day of data collection for my dissertation, and also the last day of university for 2023! Very much looking forward to going home for the holidays, spending time with the horses and having a rest ahead of next semester 🎄🐴

Physio or phoney? 🎓🥸

Knowing the qualifications needed to be a fully trained veterinary physiotherapist is really important to prevent using someone who claims to be a physio but doesn’t have the correct qualifications. As veterinary physiotherapist isn’t a protected title, anyone can call themselves a physio with either inadequate training or none at all! And in other cases you may come across professionals trained in a similar area that call themselves a physio (even an expert maybe!) without being qualified as one.

Checking the qualifications of a person or business when seeking veterinary physiotherapy treatment is the first step you can take in ensuring proper treatment for your pet!

Dissertation pilot study 🐴

This afternoon I tested the methodology for my dissertation to ensure it will actually work for the official data collection. I am pleased to say after the practice run that everything went smoothly enough that my data collection can commence next week!

I have four weeks of massage regimes to carry out, which takes us right up to the Christmas holidays 🫣🎄this year is going so quickly it’s quite scary!

Part of my study involves listening to music when I massage, hence the use of earphones. This is so that I keep to the same rhythm throughout the massage session, and therefore perform the same massage on every horse taking part in the study🎵🎧

Also want to say a big thank you to Tia for being my photographer, DJ and timer alarm this afternoon, couldn’t have done it without the help! 😊

Thought I would change it up a bit today and say a little bit about what I do outside of the physio world! I recently had the amazing opportunity to start working at Hughes Dressage as a groom, which means some really long days doing a lot of work but also getting to work in dressage heaven! Being able to do this alongside my studies feels surreal, and I feel very lucky to be able to study and work in two fields I have always loved 🤍🐴

It was great getting hands on in the hydrotherapy pool with the dogs on Monday afternoon 🐶

It’s been a couple of years since I last did canine hydro and today reminded me just how much I enjoy it! Even if I did get a bit soggy from being splashed so much 😅

Very much looking forward to doing more with the dogs in the hydrotherapy centre 🐾

Polework 🐴

Polework can be so beneficial if used correctly and safely! They can be a great addition to groundwork training, as well as flat work to improve limb range of motion, extension, propulsion and striding.

There are different patterns and set ups that can be used to improve movement depending on what you want to target most🐴

Whether poles are part of a rehabilitation exercise plan, or in an exercise programme for horses in regular work, they can be so beneficial ⭐️

Muscle tension - how massage can help 🤚🏻

Our youngster had some visible tension lines on the border of his hamstrings, which were particularly hypertonic when palpated. I took this photo in between treating both hamstring and gluteal areas on his hind limbs to see the comparison of treated vs untreated.

I used effleurage and some petrissage techniques to reduce the tension, starting on his right hindlimb. There is a visible difference in muscle tone in the picture above - the side that had not yet been treated (his left hind) had the visible tension line, whereas the treated side (right) had no visible line as the tension had been reduced.

Seeing how massage helps to improve muscle quality and conformation can be such a rewarding experience 🤍🐴

Stretches can be very beneficial for animals, but it's so important that they are done safely and effectively!

Baited stretches, also known as carrot stretches, can be done without warming the muscles up as they are active stretches (the horse stretches the muscles with their own active movement). Baited stretches should be done slowly, where you draw the horse's head gradually into the stretch, rather than with a quick movement. These stretches can be really beneficial for building topline muscle and strength overall as they also require a bit of balance! Using a lick-it would be great for helping to get the horse to hold the stretch for longer, as we ideally want to hold the stretch for a minimum of 5 seconds, which can be slowly built up to a 15 - 30 second hold over time.

Physiotherapists can perform passive stretches such as a forelimb protraction. These stretches require muscles to be warmed up prior to the stretch, and should be done in a particular way. These stretches should only be done by your physiotherapist unless they have shown you how and instructed you to do them yourself.

I thought I would introduce my dissertation topic on here as it is a huge part of my third year at uni!

Although it is a big project and a lot rides on it, I am looking forward to carrying out this study and learning lots on the way. We will hopefully be able to start our data collection within the next few weeks, which I am eager to crack on with to get this project properly up and running! 🐴

If a horse is asked to overuse his muscles, to do more with them than he has the strength for yet (very common in OTTBs like this one), fascia will develop adhesions to help stabilize the structure and provide extra support. While this does enhance the stability of the underdeveloped muscle it also reduces the elasticity of the muscle and hinders the growth of proper, healthy muscle tissue. Here you can see a line of tension where adhesions have reinforced the fascia and a spot at the end where a hole in the fascia has developed. Just like the fabric of your clothes, fascia can separate or “tear” at a stress point where reinforced and less elastic areas meet unreinforced and more elastic areas.

Time off alone is unlikely to improve remodeling. Manual massage is needed to relieve uneven tension and restore more normal, correct muscle and myofascial function in areas that have been built up incorrectly.

Strong, supple muscles have a smoother, more homogeneous appearance like the horse in the commentary.

Massage aids in muscle recovery post strenuous exercise and promotes proper development of strength and flexibility.

Learn more about fascia and how it affects your horse here -
https://koperequine.com/10-most-important-things-fascia-does-for-your-horse/

Here's a bit of information on remedial exercise plans, which we use in rehabilitation to help restore and improve physical function 🐎 🐕

This morning we had an equine practical lecture about biomechanics and exercise prescription 🐴

We used some of the college horses like Pluto in the picture above to practice long lining and lunging, as well as discussing different training aids we can use in rehabilitation 🐎

Massage can be used in many ways to benefit the body, with different types and techniques having specific purposes and effects.

Effleurage is mainly used to introduce touch, aid in relaxation and allow the patient to adjust to the treatment. It is mainly used at the start and the end of treatments, and in between other techniques. It involves one hand always being in contact with the animal, as this means we don't startle them or cause too much stimulation by removing our touch and then introducing it again suddenly. Effleurage is done in a slow rhythm, providing a soothing and relaxing effect.

Petrissage consists of many different techniques, each with their own main benefits and reasons for use. Examples include compression, kneading and skin rolling, among others. Petrissage techniques can be used to break down muscle adhesions, reduce hypertonicity (muscle stiffness/tightness) and improve circulation.

Tapotement techniques are used to stimulate the muscle, as they are short and fast movements. This can be really beneficial for atrophied muscle, or muscle which is low in tone. Tapotement techniques can increase circulation, release histamine, energise the body, increase muscle activity and stimulate sensory nerves. The four different techniques are clapping, cupping, hacking and beating. Although these names sound quite aggressive, the techniques are not!

The benefits of Veterinary Physiotherapy 🐴🐶

Vet Physio can be used in many different ways to benefit animals of all shapes and sizes! Whether you compete with your horse or have a beloved family dog, physiotherapy can be beneficial to all. The main areas of physiotherapy are explained above, however there are other ways we can be helpful!

You can discuss all aspects of your pets life with your vet physio and they can point you in the right direction, and help to give your pet the best quality care possible!

I will go into more detail with the different therapies we use in the near future so stay tuned! 💙

Hi, my name is Eve and I'm a third year BSc (Hons) Veterinary Physiotherapy student 👩🏼‍🎓

I've grown up with horses being a huge part of my life, among other four legged friends! I always knew growing up that I wanted to work with animals, and discovered Veterinary Physiotherapy a number of years ago. I have since made it my mission to qualify as a vet physio, as it's something I have become so passionate about.

Pictured below is one of our horses Woody, who has inspired me further with my studies as he has a couple of joint problems. He'll make some more appearances on this page so keep an eye out for him! 🐴

I look forward to progressing further into this profession and sharing it along the way!