Veterinary Physiotherapy: Navigating the ins and outs of the profession
Welcome to VVPs first informational blog post, in this blog post we’ll be delving into the world of Veterinary Physiotherapy, where compassionate care meets cutting edge treatments. We’ll be unravelling the intricacies of this profession, shedding light on the significance in promoting the well-being of our beloved pets. So thank you for coming and enjoy the read!
So first things first, what is Veterinary Physiotherapy?
Veterinary Physiotherapy is a science based profession which utilises a holistic approach when assessing and treating animals in the management of musculoskeletal and neurological injuries or conditions. Veterinary physiotherapists also aid in the development of athletic or working animals to increase performance and minimise risk of injury (National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists, 2019).
Now you know what we get up to on a day to day, let's quickly go into what we’re expected to do and also what us physiotherapists aren’t allowed to do…
We’re not allowed to diagnose, not one bit, never, nope. This is the job of the Veterinarian and ONLY the veterinarian so if you’ve ever been told your dog has xyz and it wasn’t from your veterinarian who has done extensive investigations, DO NOT BELIEVE IT.
Us Physiotherapist are NOT allowed to legally treat an animal who is under the care of a veterinarian, has had previous or ongoing medical care without Veterinary consent
We ARE however allowed to treat animals through a maintenance programme if they aren’t under the care of a veterinarian or have been previously. BUTTTTT if they present with any new lamenesses then treatment MUST cease immediately and the animal referred back to Vet for investigation.
This is where the relationship and communication within the multidisciplinary team is soooo important, but that's another blog post…
You’ll be able to find out more information on the legality of treatment from a Veterinary Physiotherapist through this link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/772#:~:text=%E2%80%94(1)%20Section%2019
Sadly Veterinary Physiotherapy isn’t a protected title unlike human physiotherapy, and there's always a confusion between owners as what their therapist actually is as there are many therapeutic titles around in this day, so it can get a tad confusing. But when choosing yourself a physiotherapist you want to check:
They’re attached with a governing body (this ensures their qualification and that they practise within their scope) IRVAP, NAVP, RAMP, AHPR, ACPAT can be some organisations you can check their eligibility.
Where they studied, luckily veterinary physiotherapists NO longer require to do human physiotherapy degree first there are now universities which solely do Veterinary Physiotherapy degree levels.
Now that we have an understanding of what Veterinary Physiotherapy is and their dos and don'ts we’ll delve into how it contributes to an animals overall health, uncover the range of conditions it addresses and how it can be beneficial for your animals.
So let's get into it, shall we?
Veterinary Physiotherapy includes all the physical aspects within an organism, allowing for the development of a treatment plan for complete recovery, as well as holding a prophylactic purpose (the prevention of something occuring) (Mădălina et al., 2023). Physiotherapists assist in pre-rehabilition and rehabilitation, with the goals of reducing pain, improving movement, and restoring normal muscle control and function, as well as lowering the risk of injury and maximising performance in competitive or working individuals.
Athletes, nonathletes, working animals, and geriatric individuals all benefit from veterinary physiotherapy. It is provided to individuals who have or may acquire impairments, activity limitations, or restrictions due to musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, or integumentary system diseases, conditions, injuries or individuals post operatively (Zink, Van, and Wiley, 2018).
Veterinary Physiotherapy involves the use of a variety of physical techniques for health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. Manual therapy (massage), passive range of motion exercises, active-assisted exercises, ultrasound, laser, electrostimulation, radiofrequency, aquatic therapy and physical therapy are all part of the therapeutic methods and techniques used to help the body recover through Physiotherapy (Mădălina et al., 2023). Don’t worry though, I won’t leave you there, well for now I will but future blog posts will discuss each element of physiotherapy in more depth because otherwise I'll be rewriting my dissertation and I don’t want to revisit that, for now anyway…
Pretty cool job hey?
There are a number of conditions or reasons as to why you’d implement physiotherapy into your animal's life, but as this is just an introduction of Veterinary Physiotherapy so i’ve tried to condense down some of the top conditions/ reasons why you’d implement Veterinary Physiotherapy. If your dogs/ horse/ cats condition isn’t presented below just speak to your local Veterinary Physiotherapist to see how they can assist.
Common conditions/ reasons for Veterinary Physiotherapist:
Post surgery
Pre Surgery
Performance
Geriatric care
Neurological
Intervertebral disc disease IVDD
Fibrocartilage embolism FCE
Spinal cord injury
Cervical spondylomyelopathy (Wobblers)
Lumbosacral stenosis
Myelopathy
Atlantoaxial luxation
Brachial plexus
Orthopaedic
Osteoarthritis
Fractures
Lucations
Hip Dysplasia
Legg-Calve Perthes
Tendon/Ligament injuries
Muscle tears
Patella luxation
Medial shoulder instability
Elbow Dysplasia
Kissing spine
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)
So let's quickly run through the key take away from this first blog post of an exciting new series… Veterinary physiotherapy is a pretty awesome job to get into, we help animals feel better, increase the performance of athletes, and rehabilitate individuals from injury, conditions or surgery. Veterinary physiotherapists are NOT allowed to diagnose, they must be with a governing body, referral for your animal to receive veterinary physiotherapy is crucial. Veterinary Physiotherapy can be beneficial for ANYONE.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my first attempt at blog writing… Catch up next week.
Leah Wright
Vulcan Vet Physiotherapy!
Sources:
M Christine Zink, Van, J.B. and Wiley, J. (2018). Canine sports medicine and rehabilitation. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.
Mădălina, E., Eusebiu Viorel Șindilar, Liviu Cătălin Burtan, Mihai, I., Grecu, M., Anton, A. and Gheorghe Solcan (2023). Recovery of Spinal Walking in Paraplegic Dogs Using Physiotherapy and Supportive Devices to Maintain the Standing Position. 13(8), pp.1398–1398. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081398.
National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (2019). Physiotherapy For Animals. [online] National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists. Available at: https://www.navp.co.uk/physiotherapy-for-animals.html.
World Physiotherapy. (2023). What is physiotherapy? [online] Available at: https://world.physio/resources/what-is-physiotherapy.
