Active Stride Veterinary Physiotherapy

11/10/2023

Did you know ❓

A recent study revealed that 39.8% of dogs between the age of 8 months - 4 years old showed osteoarthritic changes in radiographs ‼️ (1)

How baffling is that!!! 😳

Quite often we associate OA with our elderly dogs however, 20% of dogs in the study with evidence of OA showed clinical signs of pain.

With a subject group of over 120 dogs and 40 different breeds, only 30% of owners recognised the clinical signs (when presented) of their dog.

So what can we do to help our animals ❓

Keep a beady eye on any changes in your dog's behaviour:

🔹 Difficulty getting up and down
🔹 Licking joints
🔹 Struggling walking up stairs
🔹 Limping
🔹 Weary of getting in and out of the car
🔹 Loss of interest playing

If your dog is showing any signs of stiffness, slowing down or reluctance with movement, it may be worth consulting your vet 👩‍⚕️

They will be able to evaluate your dog and prescribe necessary medication which can reduce inflammation and provide pain relief for your dog 😅

What else can I do❓

Organise a physiotherapy session! 💪

A combination of electrotherapies, manual therapies and therapeutic exercises will optimise your dog's musculoskeletal system and delay the progression of OA.

Other useful resources:

Canine Arthritis Management
Veterinary Osteoarthritis Alliance
Canine Arthritis Resources Education

(1) Enomoto M et al. 2022. Prevalence of radiographic osteoarthritis and associated clinical signs in young dogs. Abstract and Poster. NCSU CVM 2022 Research Forum https://www.ncsu-cprec.com/research-abstracts [Accessed October 2023].

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Please get in touch if you feel that your animal would benefit from physiotherapy 🐴🐶🐱

Zoe Miles
IMSc Qualified
Member of NAVP and RAMP

✉️ zbm.vetphysio@gmail.com
📞07783277932
💻 www.zbmvetphysio.com

05/10/2023

How often should I see my physio?

This is a question I am frequently asked and unfortunately there is no right answer! Just as every session is tailored to the animal so is the requirement of treatment frequency. Post operative or injured animals that are otherwise fit and healthy will tend to require more intensive physiotherapy for shorter amounts of time e.g. Weekly sessions for 6-8 weeks, whereas animals with degenerative conditions such as well managed arthritis can go longer between sessions. What will benefit an otherwise healthy, fit animal is regular sessions every 2 to 3 months.

Human research into stabilisation work with physiotherapists has led to improvements in back pain, pelvic pain and prevention of peripheral joint injuries. [1]. Though the research has not been undertaken in horses or dogs it can be assumed that similar results would present. By seeing a physiotherapist regularly, they will be able to know your animal and their body. Identifying weaker areas or areas of discomfort and targeting them through treatment and working with owners on a home exercise plan to strengthen. They will also learn a “base normal” for your animal and be able to recognise changes from this e.g. musculature becoming tighter around one shoulder and reduced protraction of the limb that could indicate of the start of some discomfort and potential injury. By identifying these small things, we can monitor, talk to vets and implement plans to prevent injuries. Animals are very good at hiding injuries or pain and compensating in other ways by changing the way they move or compensating by using other musculature. Between owners knowing their animals best and a team of professionals (Farriers, Physios, Vets ect) regular sessions can identify areas of weakness or discomfort and target them before injury. Though we are unfortunately unable to prevent accidents and traumatic injuries, having a physio that knows your animal and is able to assist in recovery will make a big difference.

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions or if you think your animal could benefit from physiotherapy!

1.

02/10/2023

Thermal therapy!

One of the most simple way and effective way to help your animal is via the application of thermal therapy. Both hot and cold therapy have their benefits and different conditions and stages of healing call for one or the other!

Heat therapy works by causing vasodilation of the blood vessels, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the cells. It also has a pain relieving effect and is great for joints and muscles.

Cold therapy works in the opposite way, it causes vasodilation of the blood vessels and is excellent to help reduce inflammation and to cool down tissues like tendons post exercise.

Both hot and cold thermal therapy can be implemented into a home exercise plan, get in touch to book a session and get a full home exercise and treatment plan! Make the most of the October Offer expiring 31.10.23!

Image from : https://www.epiony.com/product-page/heat-pad

02/10/2023

I’m having afew issues with my phone not receiving calls/my number not being recognised. If you’d like to get in touch the best way is to email or fb message, feel free to give me your number and I will call back as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience!

28/09/2023

Hello,
Long time no post, hope everyone is doing well! I’ve taken a break to settle into my new role and I am absolutely loving it. Now that I’m all settled in, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things with Active Stride.
In celebration of this and to hopefully find some wonderful new clients I’m doing a special October offer! Sessions will be only £30 if booked before the 31.10.23! That’s a full gait, joint and musculature assessment, treatment and tailored rehab/exercise plan from a masters qualified veterinary physiotherapist for just £30! Now is the perfect time to have your horse seen to get on top of any issues that may become exasperated by the incoming winter or to optimise your horses fitness plan ready for the shorter days. Evening and before work appointments are available. Please get in touch with any questions and Ill get back to you as soon as I can, hope to be hearing from you soon!

activestrideveterinaryphysio@gmail.com
07756615153

11/08/2023

Very excited to be working with the wonderful team at Burnside!

We are pleased to introduce you to our second and final physiotherapist Holly, who will be joining us from next week. What a wonderful little team we now have!

“I’ve always had an interest in animals, from Guinea pigs to horses and everything in between. When I was 12 my dog suffered a spinal injury and seeing the impact physiotherapy had on her recovery made up my mind and I knew that I wanted to be a veterinary physiotherapist. I graduated from the veterinary physiotherapy integrated masters program at Writtle university in 2022. Since graduating, I have been running my own veterinary physiotherapist business treating both horses and dogs. Alongside my business, I worked at a specialist veterinary referral hospital based in theatre and the experience has given me a real interest in post operative recovery. I also work at a canine hydrotherapy centre where I see the huge benefits hydrotherapy can offer to patients. I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity to work at Burnside and to learn all that I can from working alongside the team. I’m very excited to meet and start treating clients.”

Holly

07/08/2023

I’ve recently finished treating the wonderful Bronte! Bronte has been the sweetest little dog to treat and made an excellent recovery from TPLO surgery. Her lovely owners were brilliant at following her rehabilitation plan and with sessions roughly every two weeks, I am happy with her progress to sign her off after 5 sessions. Her owners kindly left this lovely review 🌟

“Again thanks so much for all you have done for Bronte following her TPLO operation. You were so lovely with her (and us) and clearly know your stuff when it comes to assessment and treatment following surgery. Your advice and exercise regime instructions were always clear and thorough making it easy to follow in between your visits. I would have no hesitation in contacting you again should the need arise and in recommending you to others.
Very best wishes”

Please get in touch if you think your animal could benefit from physiotherapy! 🐴🐾

03/08/2023

Hello!

I’ve had requests to post a full pricing list for my veterinary physiotherapy services. I have some availability so do get in touch if you’d like to book a session/a or if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to help!

Holly 🐴🐾

15/07/2023

Meet my Clients!
I’ll be introducing a handful of my lovely clients to you over the next few weeks as an insight into what I get up to when I’m out treating.
This beautiful BFG is Grainger! Grainger and his wonderful owner go hunting, hacking and do everything in-between! I see Grainger for general maintenance and management of mild arthritis of the left forelimb. Grainger has a brilliant owner who is very dedicated to him and his home exercise plan and I have seen huge improvement in his forelimb movement, increased suppleness of his neck musculature, significant reduction in epaxial muscle trigger points and an increase in his gluteal muscle mass since beginning treatment. This lucky boy also has an excellent vet and regularly uses an under water treadmill; he is a great example to the advantages of a multidisciplinary team. Grainger is full of character, good as gold, and a client I always look forward to treating.

19/06/2023

Stretching!

What might just look like me holding your dog or horses’ leg in a particular position is in reality a really beneficial tool in my treatment toolkit. Stretches (held for longer than seven seconds) are able to inhibit the reflex of the golgi tendon organ and the muscle spindles allow a stretch. Stretches help a wide variety of issues or conditions by lengthening connective tissue and muscle fibres beyond their resting length. Though muscles are considered viscoelastic ,meaning they return to the same length after a stretch is applied, it is theorised that with consistent stretching the resting length is increased which can lead to increased joint ROM, increased stride length and increased levels of comfort due to its efficiency at reducing tight hypertonic muscles.

Though they may look simple (and in most cases they are!) there are lots of things that need to be considered before implementing a stretch regime to your animal. Stretches should be performed to warmed up musculature for the best results and unless targeting abduction or adduction musculature they should be performed within the sagittal plane (i.e the limb should be in line with its natural forward and backwards motion). We also need to consider which muscles we are trying to target and perform an appropriate stretch for the function of the muscle. A key thing to also consider is the limitations of the individual animal, for example, one dogs hind limb protraction stretch may extend much further or much less than the next and it is essential to know and feel each animals limit and to not ask for more than they are able to give. Stretching also needs to be performed in a way that makes the animal feel supported so a flat, non slip surface is essential for their safety and ours. Our body and hand positions also effect our ability to give a good stretch, we need to ensure our hands are in the right places to support the joints and that our bodies are able to support the weight. You can just about see in the photo below I have my elbow resting on my knee and I am in the process of shifting my weight backwards, allowing my weight shift to ask for the stretch rather than pulling with my arms and back. And there is still much more to think about including injuries old or new, any conditions that may effect how much stretch an animal can give, behaviour and handling, how frequently to perform, dynamic stretching compared to passive, the list goes on!

Stretching is a versatile tool that can be adapted and beneficial to most cases and many of my home exercise plans will have stretches involved, so please get in touch for a session and tailored home exercise plan that may well include stretching!

04/06/2023

An interesting read on an exercise I commonly perform and (in some cases) prescribe!

Study: Tail Stretching Could Reduce Back Pain by More Than 80%

https://thehorse.com/199759/study-tail-stretching-could-reduce-back-pain-by-more-than-80