Olivia Heath Veterinary Physiotherapy

Olivia Heath Veterinary Physiotherapy MIRVAP qualified, specialising in the rehabilitation and maintenance of animals.
📍Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex

25/01/2026

Here is 29 year old Red showing some processing and releases during treatment to his jaw (temperomandibular joint) and his hyoid apparatus 🦴

The TMJ is a complex joint where the mandible (the jaw bone) meets and articulates with the temporal bone which enables the opening/closing of the mouth as well as the lateral gliding required for mastication (chewing)! 👄

Did you know it is the most proprioceptive joint in the whole body!!

There are 4 main muscles associated with mastication,
so all play a huge role in the function of the TMJ! These muscles include:

💪🏼 Masseter
💪🏼 Temporalis
💪🏼 Petrygoid group
💪🏼 Digastric

Problems related to the TMJ are often not well understood and therefore may not alway be diagnosed. Due to its complexity it isn’t a straightforward presentation of an issue and can be portrayed in multiple ways. Signs of dysfunction in the TMJ can include:

🦷 Change in head carriage
🦷 Quidding (dropping food)
🦷 Uneven wear on teeth
🦷 Head shaking
🦷 Bitting issues
🦷 Pain/reactivity on palpation
🦷 Reduced jaw range of motion
🦷 Muscle asymmetry
🦷 Joint thickening
🦷 Head tilt
🦷 Reduced lateral flexion in the neck
🦷 Poll tension
🦷 Asymmetric forelimb protraction
🦷 Difficulty picking up correct canter lead
🦷 General performance issues

Did you know the TMJ has been directly linked to reduced hindlimb range of motion and reduced performance due to it’s association with the vestibular system which plays a huge role in balance and is also linked with many myofascial lines.

Massage and positional releases are a great way to help in restoring function to the TMJ which is usually accompanied with signs of release alike lowering the head, slow blinking, licking & chewing, or yawning 🥱 see how in this video the horses face has softened with twitching of the muzzle and the slow blinking which are both signs of release!

09/01/2026

We would like to thank our staff for their dedication to providing first class clinical care for our patients whilst at the hospital through 2025.
NEH continues to lead with way in equine fracture repair, with our high caseload helping us refine and develop surgical techniques, enabling more horses to return to athletic work.
Despite another increase in the annual surgery numbers, our complications experienced during hospitalisation were lower than ever . Particularly noteworthy is our zero mortality and significant morbidity rates associated with general anaesthesia, far better than generally accepted rates of anaesthetic related complications.

Well the first week back was a bit of a cold and wet one 🥶❄️☔️I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and new year!🎄🎅🏼 I s...
09/01/2026

Well the first week back was a bit of a cold and wet one 🥶❄️☔️

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and new year!🎄🎅🏼 I should have now caught up with all messages and enquiries but if I haven’t got back to you please give me a nudge!

Availability for the rest of January is fairly limited to please pop me a message to avoid disappointment!

Current availability:

🌟 Friday 16th 12pm and 1pm

🌟 Tuesday 20th 3pm and 4pm

🌟 Monday 26th before 3pm

To get in contact message me via one of my pages or:
📞 07725887352
📧 oliviaheathvetphysio@outlook.com

🎅🏼🎄 OUT OF OFFICE 🎅🏼🎄 I have treated my final client of 2025😳I am taking a week off over Christmas and new year for a we...
23/12/2025

🎅🏼🎄 OUT OF OFFICE 🎅🏼🎄

I have treated my final client of 2025😳I am taking a week off over Christmas and new year for a well earned rest 💆🏼‍♀️ and I will be back to treating your lovely animals on Monday 5th January ❤️

I wanted to say a massive thank you to my clients new and old for their continued support throughout this year!⭐️

I’ll be on my messages still (albeit a bit slower than normal) But I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ✨ Can’t wait to see you all in 2026!🎄✨❤️

22/12/2025

When we look at this illustration, it becomes clear how dramatically a forelimb amputee must reorganise their body through each moment of the gait cycle just to move forward.

This is not a small adaptation - it is a full-body strategy.

As the dog attempts to “walk,” the head drops and the centre of mass shifts forward and down, placing an enormous load onto the remaining thoracic limb. The thoracic sling collapses, the sternum travels toward the ground. At the same time, the hindquarters elevate to counterbalance the loss of stability in the front.

To lift the forelimb, the dog throws the head up and back, barely generating enough lift for the forepaw to clear the ground and to protract.

Across these two frames, we see a loss of spinal alignment. This dog is unable to maintain a neutral horizontal balance.
The neck, thoracic spine, shoulder, elbow, and carpus take the brunt of this compensation, and over time, this repetitive overload commonly progresses into carpal hyperextension, thoracic sling fatigue, and secondary musculoskeletal pain.

This illustration highlights a key point: These compensatory patterns are not occasional - they occur with every step.

Why this matters for hydrotherapy

This pronounced forward collapse and head-dip strategy is precisely why the underwater treadmill is often inappropriate for forelimb amputees.
To move on a treadmill, the dog must continue to:
👉 Overload the remaining forelimb
👉 Drop the forequarter to stabilise
👉 Rock back and forth to generate forward motion
👉 Reinforce the same dysfunctional pattern we are trying to correct

Because the UWT still requires weight bearing, it forces the amputee to rely on the very compensations that are causing harm. In many cases, it will worsen the asymmetry and accelerate overload injuries.

For these patients, we need an environment where we can:
👉 Fully remove weight bearing
👉 Allow the spine to lengthen into neutral alignment
👉 Encourage true thoracic sling engagement
👉 Support controlled, pain-free joint motion through full ROM
👉 Build strength without reinforcing pathological movement

This is why swimming becomes the most appropriate hydrotherapy choice for many amputees: buoyancy enables us to retrain movement rather than perpetuate compensation.

❓ What gait compensations do you see most commonly in your forelimb amputee patients when they attempt to walk forward?

Onlinepethealth Hydro members can now watch our full webinar “Hydrotherapy for Amputee Patients: Goals, Ethics, and Practical Approaches” with Angela Griffiths in the members library.

Not a member yet? Comment HYD and we’ll send you the registration info.

To learn more, explore our blogs: The Three Strands of Rehabilitation in the Canine Amputee Why Your Amputee Needs a Hydrotherapist. Comment AMPUTEE and we will send you those links :-)

Huge congratulations to clients Grace and Dexter for placing 7th at their first London International Horse Show👏🏅I’m inc...
22/12/2025

Huge congratulations to clients Grace and Dexter for placing 7th at their first London International Horse Show👏🏅

I’m incredibly proud of all you’ve achieved this year and I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next year 🤩❤️

Often physiotherapists are contacted after a period of cage or box rest, but why not kick start the rehabilitation from ...
07/12/2025

Often physiotherapists are contacted after a period of cage or box rest, but why not kick start the rehabilitation from the onset of injury?

Veterinary Physiotherapy is important during cage and box rest to:

🐴 Begin rehabilitation earlier for a more efficient recovery
🐶 Improve and maintain mobility
🐴 Maintain flexibility
🐶 Improve and maintain comfort
🐴 Reduce excess strain on other musculoskeletal structures due to compensatory posture
🐶 Reduce compensatory issues as an implication of the injury or condition
🐴 Aid in wound and tissue healing
🐶 Aid in pain relief
🐴 Aid in preventing muscle loss due to disuse
🐶 Aid in reducing swelling associated with the injury

For more information or to book your 🐴 or 🐶 in for a physiotherapy session don’t hesitate getting in contact:
📞 07725887352
📧 oliviaheathvetphysio@outlook.com

21/11/2025

🌟🌟 DECEMBER AVAILABILITY 🌟🌟

Availability for December is quite limited and I’m already taking booking well into January and February,
so please get booked in to avoid disappointment.

Current availability:

🌟 Monday 1st 1pm between Wickhambrook and Downham Market

🌟 Tuesday 2nd 9am, 10am and 11am

🌟 Tuesday 9th between 11am and 1pm between Beccles and Ipswich

🌟 Monday 15th 11am, 12pm and 1pm

🌟 Tuesday 16th from 12pm

🌟 Friday 19th 12.30 between Tostock and Stowmarket

🌟 Monday 22nd from 1pm

To get booked in message me via one of my pages or:
📞 07725887352
📧 oliviaheathvetphysio@outlook.com

🔸 Hindlimb posture 🔸 Hindlimb postures in horses can be categorised into the ideal "normal, neutral" stance and several ...
14/11/2025

🔸 Hindlimb posture 🔸

Hindlimb postures in horses can be categorised into the ideal "normal, neutral" stance and several common deviations, often referred to as conformation faults.

In a well-conformed horse standing squarely on flat ground, the hindlimbs appear vertical when viewed from behind and the side.

From the Side: A straight line dropped from the point of the buttock should touch the point of the hock, run down the back of the cannon bone and fetlock joint, and meet the ground slightly behind the heel. There is a gentle, balanced angle in the hock and stifle joints that allows for efficient shock absorption and power transfer.

From Behind: The legs should be straight and parallel from the point of the buttock down to the hooves, like the first part of the image!

Conformation Faults:

🔸 Sickle Hocks: The hock joint has excessive angulation, and the cannon bone angles forward. This puts excessive strain on the back of the hock and surrounding ligaments, increasing the risk of conditions like bog spavin and bone spavin.
🔸 Straight Hocks: The hocks have minimal angulation. This places increased pressure on the front of the hock joint capsule and predisposes the horse to osteoarthritis and upward fixation of the patella.
🔸 Camped Out: The entire hind leg is set out behind the point of the buttock, rather than directly underneath the horse's body.
🔸Cow Hocks: The hocks turn inward toward each other, while the hooves point outward (toe-out). A mild case can allow for more clearance of the abdomen and a longer stride, which is sometimes desired in certain disciplines, but severe cases increase pressure on the inside of the hocks and stifles, leading to potential bone spavin.
🔸 Bowlegs: The hocks are set too wide apart and point outward, with the cannon bones slanting inward toward the feet, which may be pigeon-toed (pointing inward). This weak conformation places excessive strain on the outside of the leg and results in an inefficient, twisting motion during movement.
🔸 Base Narrow/Wide: The horse stands with its hind feet either too close together (base narrow) or too far apart (base wide) relative to the width of its hocks and thighs.

This weeks pole work exercise is the Fan!🪭 This versatile exercise is good for all levels or rider and can be ridden in ...
12/11/2025

This weeks pole work exercise is the Fan!🪭

This versatile exercise is good for all levels or rider and can be ridden in walk, trot or canter!

This exercise targets accuracy, focus, response to rider, coordination, balance, and rhythm.

✨ ANATOMY SERIES- PART 1️⃣9️⃣ ✨🦴 Growth Plates 🦴Growth plates are present in both dogs & horses. They are areas of carti...
10/11/2025

✨ ANATOMY SERIES- PART 1️⃣9️⃣ ✨

🦴 Growth Plates 🦴

Growth plates are present in both dogs & horses. They are areas of cartilage near the ends of long bones where bone growth occurs, in some cases there are multiple growth plates in one area. They are crucial for development, with fusion starting from the bottom of the legs up with conversion of cartilage to bone fusing the epiphysis to the diaphysis preventing any further bone growth.

Different growth plates close at different times, with some in the digits closing shortly after birth and others, particularly in the neck, closing much later, sometimes not until age 4 or 7. The variability of age of growth plate closures between breeds and species alike is due to many factors including: the size of the specific breed of the animal, as those that are larger take longer to reach maturity, therefore longer time for growth plates to close. Gender has also been a suggested influence as it has been shown that male dogs take longer to reach maturity compared to female dogs.

Key aspects of growth plates in horses

🦴 Function: Growth plates are made of cartilage and are responsible for a horse's increase in height and bone length.
🦴 Late-closing plates: The growth plates at the base of the neck are among the last to close, with some closing between ages 4 and 7. These are crucial for the height-wise growth of the vertebral canal.
🦴 Risks and issues: Young horses with open growth plates are more susceptible to injury. Rapid growth, improper nutrition, or over-exercise can put stress on growth plates and lead to issues like physitis, a painful inflammation of the growth plate. Other developmental issues, such as osteochondrosis, can also occur.
🦴 Management: Understanding a horse's developmental stage is vital for proper management. For young horses, it is important to avoid over-training, provide a balanced diet, and ensure they have adequate recovery time from exercise to support healthy growth and bone density.

🐾 Working Dogs 🐾 Working dogs are just as much of an athlete as an agility dog or racing grey hound. Therefore they ar...
02/11/2025

🐾 Working Dogs 🐾

Working dogs are just as much of an athlete as an agility dog or racing grey hound. Therefore they are more susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries than the generic pet due to the terrain, and physical demands of their job.

As the season is just beginning it’s the perfect time to book in for a pre-season check. The pre and during season checks are essential to ensure that they are fit and healthy whilst preparing them for the next shoot of the season and addressing any small niggles before they become a problem 🐾

Physiotherapy can aid in maintaining a healthy muscle tone and reduce the risk of developing asymmetries or injury. In a physio session we can target specific muscle groups and prescribe targeted exercises to aid in strengthening and conditioning as well as improving core stability which in turn reduces the risk of an injury during training or competing.

📞 07725887352
📧 oliviaheathvetphysio@outlook.com

Address

Bury St. Edmunds

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+447725887352

Website

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