Manual Therapy
Manual therapy involves a variety of soft tissue techniques such as massage, joint mobilisations and stretching used for both evaluating and treating patients.
Specialised manual skills are used to assess soft tissue abnormalities, muscles tightness, joint arthrokinematic restrictions and range of motion.
Therapeutic massage is used to treat muscle tension and tightness which occur secondary to joint and neurological diseases. It includes a variety of techniques:
- Effleurage is a soothing technique for relaxation and to reduce swelling
- Petrissage applies moderate to deep pressure to improve circulation and tissue extensibility
- Tapotement is a stimulatory technique to increase blood flow and oxygen to an area or to stimulate a weak muscle
- Cross-friction is used to break down adhesions to accelerate muscle healing
- Trigger point release or ischemic techniques eliminate tender areas and decrease spasm.
Massage stimulates endorphins which help to manage pain and decrease anxiety. We often use massage along with thermal therapy to relax the patient and warm the muscles to enhance the effect of any stretching, range of motion or exercises and ensure the patients gain the most from other forms of therapy we incorporate.
Tim Tam, our ‘little swimmer’ kitten
Swimmer syndrome is a developmental condition we saw in a 3-week old kitten. Thankfully, early identification of the problem, intensive physiotherapy, bandaging and dedicated owners, led our ‘Little Swimmer’ to be able to walk normally
K9 Peanut-shaped stability ball
The K9 Peanut ball is a peanut-shaped stability ball designed for canine fitness and core conditioning. Great for strength work will helping support the patient in senior, overweight and rehabilitation animals to enable stretches and an introduction to balance and core exercises.
Neurological (spinal) injury rehabilitation
Whether physiotherapy is integrated post-surgery or as an alternative to surgery, all treatments are individually designed to meet each patient’s needs and goals to assist neurological retraining and return of function.
