BK Veterinary Physiotherapy

21/08/2026

Thank you for sharing this Sue, what a fantastic outcome 🥰.

This photo of Mo having a foot trimmed may not look anything, however it actually is a big deal!
After a perfect storm of reasons, this is the first time Dan has been able to trim her left hind unaided for 7 MONTHS!!!
The last couple of trims we had made significant progress by me holding her foot up for him. But today he went solo!
It proves just how long it takes to regain the confidence of a trauma affected horse.
I’ve done a lot of preparation over the past months, using positive reinforcement training and dealing with her physical weaknesses (yes she was checked by the vet!) with lots of groundwork and further helped by BK Veterinary Physiotherapy who sorted her right stifle out last visit 💪.
Thanks as always to our ever patient Dan Williams Farrier who always goes that extra mile - sorry for the unflattering view in the photo by the way 🙈😂

20/08/2026

𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 ↔ 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 🐶🧑‍⚕️🐴

One of the things I find fascinating about working across human and veterinary physiotherapy is how much I can learn from the crossover between the two.

When I’m treating a person, I can ask:

“What does that feel like?”

If I feel a change in muscle tone, a restriction, or a release, I can get immediate feedback about what they’re experiencing — pain, pressure, pulling, relief, discomfort etc.

I often find myself using that experience when treating horses and dogs.

Animals obviously can’t tell us “that feels tight” or “that feels better”, so we have to interpret their responses through palpation, movement, and behaviour.

Sometimes a response I see in an animal makes much more sense when I think about what a human might describe experiencing with a similar physical finding.

And today I had the opposite crossover - a client told me about her friend having Arthramid treatment in their knee with really positive results and hoping to have it herself. I’ve seen some good outcomes with Arthramid in horses, so naturally that sent me straight into “right, now I want to know what the human evidence says!” 😂

I really enjoy this two-way learning between human and veterinary physiotherapy.

Different species, different communication but lots of fascinating similarities in how we experience and respond to physical change. 🐴🐶🧑‍⚕️

18/08/2026

𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🐾

I recently read some research looking at how water depth changes biomechanics and muscle activity during canine UWTM exercise, and it made me reconsider how I was using it with one of my patients.

She has severe hip dysplasia and initially presented with significant weakness and pain despite medication. After almost a year of rehabilitation, she is now beautifully muscled, off pain medication and back to running, playing and being a very happy young dog.

I had gradually reduced her water level as her strength improved, with the aim of increasing the loading and strengthening stimulus.

However, the research reminded me that higher water isn’t simply “easier”. Increasing water depth changes joint kinematics and buoyancy, while muscles still have to actively work against the resistance of the water without heavily loading the joints.

So this week I changed her 30-minute session to:

🐾 10 minutes at hock–stifle level
🐾 20 minutes just above stifle level

The aim is to combine conditioning and weight-bearing with periods of greater buoyancy and altered joint movement, aiming maximise longevity not just short term outcomes.

I love that continuing to learn means sometimes changing something that is already working well to make it even better. Evidence-informed practice means staying curious. Always for the good of the animal 🩵

18/08/2026

🔬PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION BENEATH TRAINING ROLLERS🔬

Training rollers are commonly used to attach training aids; however, relatively little attention has been given to their fit and design or to the effect these factors may have on the horse.

It might be assumed that, because there is no rider or saddle during lunging, pressures beneath the roller are unlikely to be of clinical significance. However, during trot and canter on the lunge, a roller fitted with a wool pad and dressage square, and incorporating two foam pads designed to provide a semi-gullet, generated pressures directly over the midline of the back (spine) (Image A).

Roller pressures were of a similar magnitude to those measured during ridden exercise. These findings suggest that the pressures generated during lunging are influenced by both locomotion and roller design.

The location and magnitude of pressures beneath the roller were also influenced by the training aid being used. When side reins were used, high pressures beneath the roller were concentrated towards its front edge. This is likely to be associated with the connection between the side reins, roller and bit, which may pull the roller forwards and downwards. In contrast, when a Pessoa training aid was used, areas of high pressure were located towards the back edge of the roller (Image B).

Training aids are used for a variety of reasons; however, if a training aid is being used with a roller that creates high pressures directly over the midline of the back, it seems reasonable to suggest that any potential benefits of lunge exercise and/or the training aid may be diminished. As discussed many times, horses are likely to develop a locomotor strategy to alleviate discomfort. In this case, the discomfort may be associated with the pressure exerted by the roller. We should consider the effect that training rollers can have on the horse, particularly in horses undergoing rehabilitation for back-related conditions.

📝ensure the roller provides spinal clearance
📝use padding or shims to form a channel
📝consider roller fit when using training aids

📚 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080618301035

16/08/2026

𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 🐴 🐶

Fear-free isn’t always about waiting for an animal to be completely comfortable before we begin.

When I first met Milo, he was very worried about being handled and is the only dog I’ve ever needed to use a muzzle with. Space and positive reinforcement wasn’t enough on their own, I needed to show him I wasn’t something to fear. After two sessions, the muzzle was no longer needed.

Now Milo loves his physio sessions, showing off his tricks, enjoying lots of treats and tackling his exercises with confidence

Fear-free isn’t about never using a restraint it’s about using the least restrictive approach necessary, keeping everyone safe, and building trust 🐶 ♥️

14/08/2026

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧

Pain changes how the nervous system controls movement.

When the body is in pain it may reduce activation of certain muscles, alter movement patterns, and create compensations to protect itself.

This is not weakness or lack of effort, it is the nervous system trying to help.

But it means that simply asking for more exercise, more repetitions, or more strength work may not create better movement.

Before we can strengthen correctly, we need to create the right environment for the body to move well.

Rehabilitation is not about pushing through, it is about giving the horse the ability to move correctly again.

12/08/2026

If you called me today asking for physio for your retriever, you didn’t leave your number, message or text me 🙂

11/08/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.

Rehabilitation isn’t just about strengthening muscles it’s about improving how the nervous system controls movement.

Following pain or injury, the body can develop protective movement patterns that persist long after the original problem has resolved. Hands-on therapy can help reduce sensitivity and improve movement, while targeted exercise teaches the brain a more efficient way to move.

But here’s the part that’s often overlooked…

Rest allows the nervous system to process and consolidate those new movement patterns, which is why recovery days are just as important as training days. Constant repetition without adequate recovery often leads to fatigue rather than better-quality movement.

Successful rehabilitation isn’t about doing more, it’s about combining the right treatment, the right exercise, and the right recovery to promote movement with greater confidence, coordination and symmetry.

08/08/2026

𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬-𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰.
𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦.

I feel that I have become a little notorious for prescribing “homework”, so I wanted to explain why I’m so passionate about it.

The answer lies in how the nervous system works.

Pain is a protective response. When the brain perceives a movement or body region as a potential threat, it may increase muscle tension, alter movement patterns and limit mobility to protect the tissues even after tissues have healed and the body is capable of more.

During treatment I use manual therapy techniques such as myofascial release, soft tissue techniques, and joint mobilisations. These techniques stimulate sensory receptors within the skin, fascia, muscles and joints. This sensory input is thought to help reduce the nervous system’s perception of threat, decreasing pain sensitivity and protective muscle guarding.

Rather than simply treating muscles, I’m communicating with the nervous system.

This creates a valuable window of opportunity.

While the nervous system is calmer and movement feels easier, we introduce specific functional exercises. The aim isn’t simply to make muscles stronger it’s to show the brain that movement is safe and achievable again.

Every successful repetition provides new sensory information. Over time, the nervous system adapts, allowing more efficient movement patterns to replace old protective compensations.

Progressive strengthening then reinforces these new patterns, building resilience so your horse or dog can confidently cope with everyday life, work, or sport.

This is why rehabilitation doesn’t stop when the appointment ends.

🔹 Hands-on treatment opens the window.
🔹 Movement teaches the nervous system.
🔹 Repetition makes the change last.
🔹 Strengthening builds resilience and supports performance.

That’s why you’ll almost always leave an appointment with homework.

Not because I like giving you jobs to do, but because lasting change happens through what happens between appointments.

Treatment starts the process. Rehabilitation creates the lasting change.