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SUMMER 2016 ISSUE
A DAY IN THE L I FE
My first patient today is a lovely young horse
who spooked at a wheelie bin and fell on
gravel damaging her knees. She has been
home four weeks following a short stay at
Scarsdale Vets, one of my local XLEquine
practices, where the wound was flushed
and drained
(figure 1)
. Her vet referred her
for physiotherapy to assist during the healing
stage and then later to help plan her return
to work. She is having laser therapy to
help speed up wound healing
(figure 2)
,
massage and a stretching regime to help
prevent any restriction in joint mobility after
the wound has healed.
Next I am back on the road, heading to a
dressage yard with horses ranging from
youngsters to advanced horses. They are
checked every six weeks because of the
intense and repetitive nature of their work. It
is important to keep an eye on their muscle
development and any performance issues
that occur
(figure 3)
. Working closely
alongside their vet means issues can be
identified and managed before they manifest
into a real problem.
Now on to Bennett Equine, a specialist
rehabilitation yard. I visit the yard every
fortnight, to see ongoing rehabilitation cases,
as well as assessing new referrals so I can
work with them throughout their recuperation.
Today there are six horses on the list for
physiotherapy, all recovering from different
injuries, from interspinous ligament
desmotomy to removal of a bone chip in
a fetlock joint. Horses recovering from
lameness require physiotherapy, not only to
help them with the diagnosed problem, but
also to identify and manage other areas of
pain, tension or stiffness they may have
caused themselves by compensating for the
original problem.
As a physiotherapist we have many
treatment techniques up our sleeves! These
include electrotherapies to promote healing,
manage pain and improve muscle function,
as well as ‘hands on’ treatments such as
massage, myofascial release, trigger point
techniques, spinal reflex work, joint
mobilisation…the list goes on! However
treatment doesn’t stop when I leave the yard.
Giving the owner ridden exercises to build
up a specific muscle group, baited stretches
to help a tight area
(figure 4)
or pole work
to increase joint flexion
(figure 5)
means that
between appointments the owner can
continue the horse’s rehabilitation or improve
its performance.
My day finshes with returning phone calls
to new clients, ringing vets for updates on
shared clients. Finally, it’s back onto the
computer, sending reports for today’s clients
and referral forms to vets to obtain consent
before I see my next new set of patients.
Tamsyn Lafferty BSc MSc MCSP ACPAT Category A
Priestwood Physiotherapy, Derbyshire
My day starts bright and early in the office! By office I mean my
4x4 vehicle packed full of waterproofs, my ‘satnav’, electrotherapy
equipment, notes for each patient and two terriers. On average I see
eight to ten horses a day; a mixture of routine cases and new veterinary
referrals. I also travel with the competition horses I work with to events
around the country and abroad.
A day in the life of... an ACPAT
veterinary physiotherapist
Figure 1. Two weeks after injury.
The drain is still in place
Figure 2. Six weeks after injury
following laser therapy
Figure 3. Palpation of the
horse's spine as part of the
assessment
Figure 4. Baited lateral flexion
stretch
Figure 5. Pole work can be used to
increase joint flexion of the limbs
as well as engaging core muscles
EQUINE MATTERS
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