HEAD TO TAIL VETERINARY PHYSIOTHERAPY
ABOUT VETERINARY PHYSIOTHERAPY
​Veterinary Physiotherapy involves the assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal or neurological conditions in animals. An assessment involves observing the animal's static posture, movement and gait, manual palpation to assess the body's soft tissue structures and assessment of available movement throughout the body. Assessments also require careful consideration of all aspects of the animal's environment, lifestyle, conformation, genetics, anatomy and function. Therefore, veterinary physiotherapists require a good level of knowledge of animal anatomy and what can happen in injury or disease. Similarly, treatment involves a multimodal approach, often involving manual therapy, electrotherapy and remedial exercise in order to reduce pain, restore function and improve performance.
SPECIES TREATED
DOGS
LASER treatment for elbow arthritis
Head to Tail Veterinary Physiotherapy specialises in the assessment and treatment of canines. All dogs, no matter the breed, shape, size or lifestyle, can benefit from physiotherapy in terms of improvements in their physical and mental wellbeing. Physiotherapy provides effective pain relief, aids healing of soft tissue injuries and facilitates return to normal functioning post injury or surgery. It is used to manage short or long term diseases, and can also help to improve fitness levels and performance of the sporting dog whilst simultaneously reducing risk of injury.
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Common Conditions Treated:
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Osteoarthritis
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Cruciate Ligament Injury
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Hip / Elbow Dysplasia
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Fractures
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Soft tissue injuries
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Achilles tendon injury
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Inteverebtral Disc Disease
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Spinal injury
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Spondylosis
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Degenerative mylopathy
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Joint and soft tissue injuries
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Other indications:
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Pain
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Stiffness or lameness
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Licking at an area
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Changes in behaviour, slowing down on walks, lethargy
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Post-operative rehabiltation
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Pre-operative rehabilitation
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Sporting dogs - agility, canicross, flyball, particuarly active lifestyles
A client's dog enjoying a hike in the Peak District
HORSES
Massage for back pain following an ill-fitting saddle
LASER treatment to address areas of tension
RABBITS, CATS, SMALL ANIMALS & EXOTICS
Physiotherapy holds many physical and psychological benefits for horses, whether they are a happy hacker or a top competition horse. The main aims of physiotherapy are to reduce pain, improve movement, gait and function and enhance overall performance. As horses are prey animals, they can be very good at hiding pain and discomfort. Therefore, Head to Tail carries out a detailed assessment (watching movement and assessing the soft tissues) to establish areas where your horse may be holding tension. With a combination of manual therapies and electrotherapies, physiotherapy has the potential to greatly improve your horse's comfort, wellbeing and performance.
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Common Conditions Treated:
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Lameness
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Osteoarthritis
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Tendon or Ligament Injury
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Kissing Spine
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Muscle Strain
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Wound healing
Other indications:
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Saddle problems / back pain
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Struggling on one rein
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Change in behaviour
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Stiffness
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Pre / post competition
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Signs of pain
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Reduced performance
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Recovering post injury
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Recovering post surgery
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Small animals (rabbits, cats etc) can greatly benefit from physiotherapy, in the same way that humans, dogs and horses can. Head to Tail is particularly passionate about rabbit welfare and has experienced first hand the many benefits or physiotherapy for rabbits. Age-related arthritis affecting the joints is very common in older rabbits. Rabbits can be treated with a combination of electrotherapies, manual therapies and remedial exercises which help to keep them pain free, mobile and able to carry out their normal daily activities. With a wealth of experience with a variety of animals, and a broad, open-minded approach to assessment and treatment, Head to Tail is qualified and equipped to treat any animal.
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Common Conditions Treated:
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Osteoarthritis
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Neurological conditions (e.g. rabbits - complications from E. Cuniculi)
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Road traffic accident
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Soft tissue injuries / wound healing
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Other indications:
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Stiffness
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Pain
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Struggling to groom themselves
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Changes in behaviour, lethargy
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