Equine Bodywork, Nerve Release, Soft Tissue Therapy, Equine Massage, Advanced Myofascial Release, Craniosacral therapy (osteopathic approach) to enhance performance, increase comfort, improve flexibility/range of motion and reduce swelling and soreness. I am a fully qualified and insured equine therapist who utilises Equine Bodywork, Nerve Release Therapy, soft tissue therapy, Sports Massage, adva
nced Myofascial Release, Craniosacral therapy (an Osteopathic approach), Cold Laser, Therapeutic Ultrasound, and Trigger Point therapy to enhance performance, increase comfort, improve flexibility/range of motion, reduce swelling, improve healing and reduce tension and soreness. With Equine Bodywork, Nerve Release Therapy, Equine Myo-manipulative Functional Therapy (EMFT), Soft Tissue Therapy, Advanced Myofascial Release, Equine Craniosacral Therapy (Osteopathy), Equine Sports Massage (ESMT), Trigger Point Therapy, Therapeutic Ultrasound, Gua Sha, Shiatsu and Cold Laser Therapy, I can: release tension/restrictions in your equine partners muscles, creating a happier and healthier horse with improved performance, regardless of whether they are ridden or not. When muscles are tight and tense, they can pull joints and vertebrae out of line. When joints and bones are out of line, they can nip nerves and cause muscle spasms. I strive to improve your equine partner's performance and comfort by reducing tension and soreness. Regardless of your horses’ discipline, they cannot give their best if they do not feel their best. A typical session includes full-body equine sports massage (ESMT) and stretching, with a focus on areas that are problematic. Advanced Myofascial release, Nerve Release Therapy, Equine Craniosacral therapy, Shiatsu and Cold Laser Therapy are often integrated to support specific goals such as reducing inflammation, aiding recovery, preventing atrophy (wasting) of muscles, increasing range of motion, releasing restrictions, relieving pain/discomfort or establishing trust with a horse recovering from trauma/injury. Equine Myo-manipulative Functional Therapy (EMFT- Equine Bodyworker), literally means making changes in the muscles to achieve proper function. EMFT focuses on equine athletes, allowing them to perform optimally and reduce the chance of injury by maximizing the range of motion and decreasing muscular restrictions. Horse athletes are often asked to perform manoeuvres that can cause repetitive stress injuries. Like human athletes, they can benefit from maintenance bodywork as well as recovery treatments. EMFT uses techniques which include Swedish massage (Equine Sports Massage Therapy), Shiatsu, Advanced Myofascial Release, Red Light therapy, laser therapy, Therapeutic Ultrasound, Trigger Point Therapy and Gua Sha, which can further improve the horse's function and ability to perform at an optimal level. Equine bodywork aids recovery, reduces swelling within the soft tissues, allowing the horses’ systems to work together more effectively and efficiently, which creates a happier and healthier horse with improved performance. Nerve Release Therapy
When we look into the nervous system, we find that the answer to physical imbalances can be found in the nervous system and the fascia. Nerve Release Therapy involves gentle, sustained pressure applied to specific points. This can release fascial restrictions and bracing muscles that can lead to nerve compression and restricted movement. The techniques specifically target the main nerve plexuses, releasing fascial holdings and bracing muscles, creating more space around the nerves and reducing compression. Releasing restrictions can lead to better joint mobility, improved posture, and a more balanced and comfortable horse. The techniques can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the "rest and digest" response, potentially improving overall well-being. Furthermore, the nervous system will actually construct itself according to the physical demands placed on the fascia. The nervous system listens to the fascia and makes constant changes according to the demands place on it. Research from Van der Wal has shown “Nerve endings arrange themselves according to forces that commonly apply in that location in that individual, not according to a genetic plan, and definitely not according to the anatomical division that we call muscle”. Fascia is the richest sensory organ in the body. For every one receptor in a muscle there are ten receptors on the surrounding fascia. The intelligent communication between the nervous system and the fascia means we can always move toward more balanced tissue and movement. Soft Tissue Therapy
Focuses on muscle, tendon, and fascia tissue, in particular a structure called the golgi tendon apparatus/organs. This structure is found inside the cells of all animals, including humans, and helps to regulate muscle tension and assist in the removal of toxins that build up in the muscles. When these individual structures aren’t working correctly, it can manifest as pain, soreness, and soft-tissue restriction. Using gentle hand pressure, combined with specific stretching, helps the golgi tendon apparatus return to its optimal function and resets the muscle spindle’s sensitivity to muscle length, promoting relaxation and reducing muscle tension. During treatment, both the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organs are activated. By applying pressure on specific trigger points or tight areas of fascia, these proprioceptive organs are influenced to release excessive muscle tension, reducing the likelihood of strain and resetting the body's awareness of positioning. Advanced Myofascial Release is a comprehensive, whole body, hands-on approach that restores the necessary slack in the connective tissue web to enhance a horse's performance. Myofascial release uses sustained hands-on pressure into a fascial restriction for several minutes in one area. The fascia “suit” is the connective tissue that extends throughout our body, not only lying just beneath the skin but also surrounding and connecting every organ, muscle, bone, nerve and blood vessel and more. Fascia is a continuous web that surrounds and separates, supports and protects down to the cellular level, allowing the body to move freely. Fascial restrictions have the capability of pulling 2,000 pounds per square inch of tension in one area. That is an enormous amount of tension to overcome and is the cause of many problems that limit the performance of the equine athlete, including poor collection, balance problems, lack of flexibility, lead change problems, behavioural issues, sore muscles, back pain, and tendon and ligament injuries. Myofascial restrictions cannot be found on any standard tests such as X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, or EMGs; consequently, they often go undiagnosed. Prior to treatment, an evaluation will be necessary to assess posture and movement which will give visual cues as to where fascial restrictions may be located. Then a thorough head-to-tail hands-on assessment is performed, looking for any areas of soft tissue that feel compromised. These areas of fascial restriction may be tender to touch. The information gathered in the evaluation helps to determine where specific myofascial release techniques will be performed on the horse's body. Equine Craniosacral therapy (CST an Osteopathic approach). The equine cranial-sacral system is an uninterrupted structure that connects the horse’s head to the horse’s tail. Cranial-sacral therapy is a gentle, sensitive, non-intrusive and amazingly powerful form of deep tissue correction. Malfunctions of the cranial-sacral system create many physiological and emotional consequences, often presented in a seemingly disguised form. When applied correctly, this gentle and subtle technique can be highly effective in addressing several conditions in the horse. Some common conditions treated with cranial-sacral therapy are: Head shaking, head injuries, stored emotions, temporal mandibular joint dysfunction, behavioural problems, respiratory problems and skeletal restrictions. Equine Craniosacral therapy is a very safe and gentle manual therapy that works on the central nervous system and the connective tissue called “fascia.” The light touch technique is used to help stimulate the body’s own healing properties along with lessening the restrictions found in the nervous system. It works primarily on the central and autonomic nervous systems and has been proven to help calm and rebalance these systems. The most important nerves are the cranial nerves that originate from the brain and either enter or exit the skull through small openings called foramen. There are 12 nerves in total which help control everything from sensory organs to facial muscles to the digestive tract. Owners can see great benefits in using it on healthy, working horses to keep them feeling their best and it is also greatly beneficial to horses who have performance issues, behaviour problems, chronic pain, chronic medical conditions, and many other conditions. Equi-laser Cold Laser Therapy: When applied to damaged tissue, it triggers a biological response causing stimulation of the immune, lymphatic, vascular and neural systems. The result of this stimulation can reduce inflammation and pain, promoting faster healing and a more rapid return to work. The Equi-laser is designed to improve healing for various conditions including: soft tissue injuries, acute ligament and tendon injuries, chronic injuries such as bowed tendons, arthritic conditions, joint injuries, pulled/strained muscles, mud fever, splints, scar tissue and wound healing. Trigger Point Therapy (Similar to Soft Tissue Therapy: A trigger point is a combination of lactic acid build-up and motor nerve ending irritation, mostly in the fleshy part (belly) of the muscle. After warming and loosening up the area to be treated with massage techniques, light pressure is applied at the location of maximum tenderness, or directly over the trigger point nodule. The pressure is held until the muscle relaxes. Pressure may be applied with fingertips, the thumb, the elbow or Equi-laser, depending on which is most appropriate for your horse. Some chronic trigger points may need up to 3 minutes of carefully applied pressure before completely releasing. After the appropriate technique has been applied and the trigger point released the area will be drained thoroughly with further massage techniques. Trigger Point Therapy can improve flexibility and range of motion, increase circulation, enable oxygen and nutrients to flow and enable the muscle to become fully functioning again. Therapeutic Ultrasound
Ultrasound machines utilise electrical energy to generate powerful waves for ultrasound therapy. Focussing the ultrasonic energy and waves on specific areas of musculoskeletal pain, effectively creates a therapeutic effect and promotes healing in soft tissues. It can also help with pain management and muscle spasm relief.
1.Accelerated Healing: Ultrasound therapy machines enhance blood circulation and improve the flow of oxygen throughout the body. This natural process facilitates the breakdown of scar tissue, leading to improved mobility in tendons and joints. Moreover, it promotes tissue relaxation, aiding in faster healing.
2.Increased Mobility: By promoting scar tissue breakdown and improving blood circulation, portable ultrasound machines contribute to increased flexibility and enhanced range of motion in tendons and joints, ultimately improving overall mobility in affected areas. Gua Sha: Gua means ‘remove something, pull it out’, Sha means literally ‘sand’. The ‘sand’ refers to the toxins in the tissue. Gua Sha will stimulate the circulation of blood and energy, so the body can drain down the toxins. The origin of the therapy is in South East Asia and has existed for more than 2000 years. In China they found old writings, dated around 200 BC, where they described a method to 'scrape' away diseases from the body. Gua Sha stimulates the circulation of blood and energy through the body. Gua Sha helps the body to drain toxins and solve existing energy blocks. It can also help the body to recover from a hard training session or competition. If Blood and Energy circulates well, the immune system of the body gets stronger.
