Before assessment and treatment can commence veterinary consent must be obtained. This can be obtained directly by the veterinary physiotherapist from your vet or can be done via a consent form for your vet to fill in. Please get in touch for further information.
On the day of the appointment please make sure your animal is clean and dry. A well-lit, dry and level area will be needed to work in.
First Appointment
The first appointment will begin with a full case history being taken. This will include details about any injuries (past or present), exercise regime and management details. Following this the animal will be observed moving (straight line, on the lunge and ridden if needed). A full musculoskeletal assessment (including posture and muscle symmetry) will then be made; this includes palpation to assess muscle tone and pain response and joint range of motion to detect ability and quality of movement of specific joints.
A treatment programme will be tailored to issues found during the assessment. Treatment will usually be a combination of manual therapies (massage, myofascial release, stretching and dynamic mobilizations) and electrotherapy (TENs, NMES, LLLT, PEMF and H-Wave).
Exercises and ‘homework’ will be suggested so that any issues identified can continue to be worked on by the owner in between physio visits. Where appropriate a remedial exercise programme will be designed to assist in rehabilitation. All exercises left for the owner to carry out will be clearly explained and demonstrated.
Follow up treatments are necessary in order to check progress, address any remaining muscular imbalances and to adjust exercises and machine settings if these have been left with the owner to carry out.
It usually takes more than one treatment to address the initial problem. Depending on the issue and its severity it may take up to 6 treatments to resolve the initial problem.
If the animal is considered to require veterinary attention / further diagnosis then the case will be referred back to your veterinary surgeon before further treatment is given.
For horses, once a baseline has been reached it is a good idea to have your horse re-checked at least every 6 months. This ensures that any weaknesses or underlying issues can be picked up before they become a problem and begin to affect performance.
By booking an appointment you agree to the terms and conditions detailed here – KK Vet Physio T&C’s