Is Vet Physio Effective?

 In the grand scheme of veterinary medicine, veterinary physiotherapy is relatively new.

 

It is therefore fairly understandable why some veterinarians, owners, and other animal professionals still consider vet physio a bit of a ‘fad’ or a ‘snake oil’ therapy.

 

This is always sad for me to hear as I have undertaken a 4-year honours degree in veterinary physiotherapy, and I have seen the effects first hand.

 

I am only one person, but I am very much a ‘see it to believe it’ type.

 

If I thought vet physio was any kind of fad, or pseudoscience. I certainly wouldn’t have spend the time, effort and money to become a vet physio. Nor would I be putting myself under the stress of building a business or trying to make myself the best vet physio I possibly can be.



But it does make a difference. A significant difference in many cases.


(See the video of RF therapy on SIJ discomfort here): https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17AsgRiQzE/ 

 

I think the biggest thing that is holding vet physio back from being 100% accepted, is that it’s rarely immediately effective.

 

Vet physio treatment takes time, effort and commitment.

 

You have to continue with the treatment plans, and appointments in order for the effects to be noticeable.

 

Now I’m not naïve.

 

I’m fully aware that this sounds like a scheme!

 

‘Oh yes, just keep doing what I say, and pay me for appointments, and I promise it’ll all be better at the end’

 

But I’m afraid I have no remedy for that, other than to look at the mountains of peer-reviewed, scientific research that demonstrates the effectiveness of veterinary physiotherapy.

 


Not to mention countless case studies, personal accounts and the side note of; if physiotherapy doesn’t help – why are there physiotherapists at every major sporting event? For both humans and animals alike! Surely a waste of time and money at that level?

 

The biggest thing I believe that supports the reasoning of why vet physio takes time to be effective, is the understanding that the dysfunction didn’t happen immediately. So how could it be cured immediately?

 

Of course veterinarians can give painkillers and nerve blocks.

 

And these will have an immediate effect, yet they are rarely, if ever, actually treating the cause. They are typically treating the symptom(s).

 

Please understand, that I am not knocking veterinarians, not for a second.

 

Nerve blocks are often key in identifying an area of pain or dysfunction.

 

And painkillers are of course, often necessary for pain management.

 

But the point still stands that these are not treatments.

 

Quite often, vet physio is in place to enhance veterinary treatment.



If a horse has kissing spines surgery, for example. The veterinarian will almost always recommend a rehabilitation plan to assist with recovery post-surgery.

 

Now the key question here is; ‘how do we know the horse wouldn’t recover just as well without veterinary physiotherapy?’

 

And again, I would have to point you back to scientific papers where there would have been a control group, and a treatment group. Almost always, the treatment group will have had a better, and/or faster outcome than the control group.

 

But I would also ask you to apply common sense.

 

If an animal has had surgery for a MSK issue – surely it stands to reason that they’ll benefit from MSK rehabilitation post-surgery?

 

Take our kissing spines (KS) surgery example …

 

Typically, the veterinarian will have either made incisions to the interspinous ligament or performed a dorsal spinous process (DSP) resection/ostectomy, in order to alleviate the KS condition, and the pain it would have caused.

 


Before surgery, the horse would likely have been in pain due to this KS dysfunction, what are the chances of them not having any compensatory MSK issues?

 

Pretty slim I’d say.

 

And any of those that have few, or minor MSK compensatory issues pre-surgery would almost certainly have had a veterinary physiotherapist working with them to give them the best chances post-surgery.

 

So the horse walks out of a successful surgery, what do we think would give them the best chances of a successful recovery?

-        Complete box rest for weeks on end

-        Pasture rest for months

-        A few weeks of walking

-        A rehabilitation plan to rebuild strength, encourage correct muscle engagement, and eliminate compensatory pain and dysfunction.

 

Seems like a simple answer to me.



And even if you’re not 100% certain that it would be helpful, and surgery has done everything necessary. What’s the harm in at least having a conversation with a veterinary physiotherapist?

 

And again – I am not naïve, I do appreciate that some people simple do not have the time, money, or ability to have a comprehensive vet physio plan following surgery.

 

But if we could wave a magic wand and say that everyone could choose the ideal post MSK surgery care, I’d like to think that everyone would have some sort of rehabilitation plan with a veterinary physiotherapist.

 

Now, most of us would associate vet physio with post-surgery recovery.

 

But that’s only one element that vet physio is beneficial for.

 

Vet physio is also ideal for:

-        Maintenance – both of preexisting conditions, and animals in perfect health

-        Performance enhancement – addressing little niggles and discomforts that may be stopping an animal performing at their best

-        Pain management – This could be alongside pharmaceuticals, or the main source of management

-        Pre-habilitation – Either strengthening the MSK system before surgery, or aiming to get the animal to a point where surgery is no longer required

-        Osteoarthritis / old age support – This can really help the older and/or arthritic animal feel more comfortable and enhance quality of life

-        Peace of mind – if something is not quite right, but you can’t put your finger on it, a vet physio assessment can point you in the right direction of what to do next



And probably a plethora of other things that haven’t come to mind right now.

 

Long and short is that vet physio is incredibly dynamic.

 

There’s plenty that it can do to help, and to make things better, there are even therapists who will specialise in certain areas, meaning you can get an even deeper level of care with certain ailments or concerns.

 

So naturally, I’ll be biased towards the positive, and will say absolutely, vet physio is definitely effective and makes a big difference.

 

I hope after reading this you can have a new-found or reinforced belief and appreciation for the capability and effectiveness of vet physio.

 


If you’re still unsure, or want more information, please feel free to contact me and I will answer any questions honestly and openly!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments about topics you’d like me to write about, or any suggestions to improve my blogs.

 

For any other information, or to book a veterinary physiotherapy appointment, please contact me directly.

 

All the best,

Emma, The Biomechanic.

BSc(Hons), FdSc, MIRVAP, RAMP

07861195709

emma@the-biomechanic.co.uk

www.the-biomechanic.co.uk

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