The Biomechanic Vet Physio

  The importance of a good warm up and cool down.   One thing I really will harper on about to all of my clients and friends is the importance of a good warm up and cool down.   It doesn’t seem like much, but its something that can make a massive difference if done properly everyday.   -         On that note, it really is the little things done regularly that make all the difference. Positive & negative.   When any animal (or person!) is about to complete exercise, a warm up prepares the body for the excessive movement.   It helps with the musculoskeletal system: This helps to prevent soft tissue injury such as tears, sprains and strains due to the increased blood flow and muscle temperature. It also helps with joint lubrication.     It’s beneficial for the cardiovascular system: A gradual increase in heart rate reduces stress on the heart and prepares the body for exercise. It a...

  The bread and butter of vet physio is manual therapy – massage, stretches and exercise prescription.   I’m planning to write a blog on each, giving a brief overview of what they are, and why they’re so helpful!   I’ll try my best to make it interesting, I promise!   So, why are stretches so important? There’s plenty of science-based evidence of what stretching will do for soft tissues, and how beneficial it is.   The key benefits include: -         Pain reduction -         Releases tension in muscles -         Increases extensibility -         Improves range of motion -         Improves posture -         Improves performance   The best thing is these benefits are so simple to achieve – stretches take minutes to pe...

  Veterinary physiotherapy is physical therapy for animals.   It typically uses a combination of; electrotherapy, manual therapy, like massage, hydrotherapy, and remedial exercises to allow the body to heal itself and achieve optimum performance as efficiently as possible. Physiotherapy can be used on practically any animal and can have incredible effects – you can find some unbelievable, heart-warming videos of animals learning to walk again, or an old dog getting zoomies after osteoarthritis treatment! Its usage depends on the type of animal, species, breed, age, what their ability is, what the owners expectation and ability is, and what they’re ‘used’ for. -         I do hate that term, ‘used for’, but it is something that needs to be considered; are they a competition animal? – what type of competition? Are they a companion animal, or a much-loved pet? Are they a service animal? This helps decide what physiotherapy can do to help, a...