What is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is the use of various therapeutic modalities to improve healing following injury, maintain and optimise function and mobility, and ensure the comfort of your animals. The therapeutic modalities can be split into 3 sections:

Manual Therapies
Electro-therapies
Remedial Exercises

Manual Therapy

Can be described as any technique that is hands on so this includes massage techniques, stretching and myofasical releases.

Massage is often used to warm up the tissue through various techniques or strokes.

Stretching is usually completed at the end of a treatment session to prolong the effects of physiotherapy.

Myofasical releases are completed when massage is, often taking up the bulk of a treatment session.

Electro-Therapy

This may sound the most forboding, but it isn't always needed or used in a physiotherapy session, some of your animals may not benefit from this or be able to have it used on them.

Often the most common one used is a simple heat pad, this alone can have many benefits from a therapeutic angle.

Cold packs are also vastly beneficial in therapy as well.

There are also more complicated therapies such as PEMFT, Ultrasound, and Laser

Remedial Exercise

This entails the use of therapeutic exercises to help extend the benefits your animal will experience following a physiotherapy session. They may be completed at the end of a physiotherapy session and prescribed to yourself as an owner to complete between visits.

But please do not be afraid to ask for the exercises to be demonstrated. As a physiotherapist the exercise must be completed correctly for the benefits to be seen.