Physios - a waste of money???

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Okay so today I had the physio out for my horse and I have to admit I think it was a complete waste of money. He poked and prodded and announced that my horse had really confused him and he couldn't find anything wrong. Is that a good thing?

He had a lot of gadgets with him and was holding various bits of equipment up to the horse and it all seemed pointless to me. The reason I had him out was that he wasnt level behind sometimes in trot on a circle. He didn't want to see him move and the whole consultation was done in the stable. I just feel really deflated by it.

What's everyone's opinions on the physio???
 
The physio I use has never turned up with gadgets so not sure what they were. I have my horse booked in for Monday for a thorough massage basically he loves it.

Your horse isn't moving properly so definitely vet first.
 
Every time I've seen a physio work on a horse they've given it a real thorough going over - normally without gadgets. Even horses without problems are usually stiff somewhere. I'd start with the vet and then use someone else!
 
Get the vet and once they have diagnosed the lameness ask if physio would be appropriate and get them to recommend someone the practice is used to working with.

The person you have used sounds like a bit of a charlatan to me. Assuming you told them your horse has an undiagnosed lameness, no reputable bodyworker of any discipline would have put their hands on your horse without a vet's say so.
 
My physio is brilliant, vital to keep my horses on the road :)

If you are worried about lameness, then it should be Vet first.

My physio doesn't use any gadgets either :)

ETA She always, always sees them walked/trotted up, on a circle, and backing up before she starts work on them.
 
I highly rate my fully qualified physio she's treated my horse for about 10 years now for various injuries. She mostly is hands on but does use an H-wave sometimes.
 
I had mine at physio and he said the same thing. Turns out his issue was not anything a physio could have seen, felt or fixed. (He's not lame at all though) He didn't charge me anything though.
 
Physios etc are not regulated so you do get several charlatans. Like others, I have not heard of a body worker of any variety bringing equipment like that with them.

Undiagnosed lameness I would get the vet first and go from there. (I'm in a similar position and have had the vet).
 
You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you get a good one ! I've finally found one that does a cracking job.

I get a full written report , very similar to a vetting report. They check the horse in stable for lumps/bumps etc , walk and trot up, in a line and in a circle , plus make the them take a few steps backs.

Then they treat th areas they have concerns over. Made a huge difference to he horses , where some just make a difference to your bank balance
 
I am very lucky in that I use a Chiro Vet, so she is both a vet and a Chiropractor, The fact she is also a vet in my opinion makes things much easier, as she can diagnose and suggest areas my vet may want to look at. My vet is aware that I use her and I report all her visit and treatments (not routine) to my vet.

When I first used a Chiro I to was a bit unconvinced, she told me that my horse was bruised from the saddle along one side and recommended a saddler. I followed the instructions and still use the saddler to this day. What is interesting is that when the horse produced his winter coat, all the areas she had pointed out, that year, grew white hair. That's what convinced me. That and having treatment myself :D
I only use qualified people like the Chiro Vet and while it is more expensive , I feel its worth the money and pays for itself though happy, healthy horses.
 
fidleyspromise said:
Physios etc are not regulated so you do get several charlatans. Like others, I have not heard of a body worker of any variety bringing equipment like that with them.

Undiagnosed lameness I would get the vet first and go from there. (I'm in a similar position and have had the vet).
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Proper physios are regulated but there are many "back people" who use various terms to describe themselves that will not be regulated and may not be qualified, none should "treat" a horse without consent from a vet and most will not come out to a lame horse unless it has been seen and diagnosed by a vet, they are complimentary therapists not qualified to diagnose.
 
Asha said:
You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you get a good one ! I've finally found one that does a cracking job.

I get a full written report , very similar to a vetting report. They check the horse in stable for lumps/bumps etc , walk and trot up, in a line and in a circle , plus make the them take a few steps backs.

Then they treat th areas they have concerns over. Made a huge difference to he horses , where some just make a difference to your bank balance
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I agree with this some physios do cut corners in my experience they tend to spend at least an hour on each horse then they often give you stretches, in hand work ridden work to do yourself if there are areas that need a helping hand, some years ago my horse went lame and his whole posture and way of going completely changed, the vet recommended a physio and I truly believe without there help my horse would have ended up with a host of different problems, my horse was under the physio for a year and although I had to put a lot of effort and hard work into it keeping up with whatever they told me to do the change in him was amazing.
 
fidleyspromise said:
Physios etc are not regulated so you do get several charlatans. Like others, I have not heard of a body worker of any variety bringing equipment like that with them.

Undiagnosed lameness I would get the vet first and go from there. (I'm in a similar position and have had the vet).
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That's not correct properly qualified Physio's are regulated that's the ones who are human physio's who have gone on to train for animals.
The word physio is sloppily use to describe all sorts of people doing all sorts of things
If a horse appears lame your first call must be to the vet anything else is not legal and the physio should refuse to continue until you see the vet .
The physio I use has authority to treat her clients form out vet practise she sends a report to the vets after every visit .
Owners need to be wise when using all types of complimentary therapys horses suffer unnecessarily if you are not .
 
I had a physio on recommendation from my vet. She put a contraption on my horse (might have been an H Wave) it was very expensive and achieved less than the Mctimoney Chiropractor that came after. I think as with people, a good massage is beneficial, which the physio didn't do. If you've ever suffered back pain yourself you'd appreciate what a good one can achieve.
 
My vet noticed DP was unlevel behind after treating his stifle problem and recommended a Physio. The lady that they regularly work with and who came to see him is a fully qualified human Physio but prefers treating horses to people. No gadgets are ever used and it isn't a massage, she targets the muscles that are causing the problem. She always wants to see him walked and trotted in a straight line and on both sides on a circle.

I sometimes have to wait for her to be in the area but it's never more than two weeks and she does travel far and wide because she is so good at her job. I am very lucky to have found a good vet, dentist, physio and farrier to keep him in shape and I won't be changing any of them soon.
 
Sounds like a waste of time! I am an ESMT and I would never massage a horse without seeing them move first so a physio should be the same, if not more in depth!
 
I use both a 'bodyworker' and a physio on my horse. The first is a McTimmoney (sp?) practitioner and comes highly recommended - she's also got qualifications coming out of her ears. My horse adores her and its obvious feels a lot better after she's been. She got vet approval to work on my horse before her first visit.

The physio came when I was having quite significant problems following a bad saddle. She got full vet records first and saw the horse trot up, turn in circles and attempt to back up. This physio is human qualified and does me as well - definitely not a waste of time for either me or the horse (although I think we both found our sessions pretty painful!!)
 
I use two different people - one is a McTimoney chiropractor, the other does myofascial release. I would say I have 2 visits from each a year and my horse does benefit from seeing them. He is quite a nervous horse who holds his breath a lot and is funny with strangers. He starts yawning as soon as he sees either of them and is quite clear about showing them what needs sorting out.

I have used a physio in the past who I don't believe helped the horse much at all but its horses for courses. What one horse needs is not what another needs and they all treat differently.
 
I use a qualified ACPAT physio, I got her out last year because my pony didn't seem quite right. She saw her moving in hand, on the lunge and under saddle and reccommended I get the vet to check her. SI issues were diagnosed and my vet and physio have been working together through the rehab.
She does use a couple of 'gadgets' - a laser pen, a muscle stim (bit lite a tens machine) and some magnet pads. These are in addition to massage, stretches and other manual therepies.
Get a good, qualified (ACPAT) physio and it shouldn't be a waste of money.
 
Goodness, that's disappointing. There are 3 physios who come regularly to our yard & one who comes as a favour to me. All 4 are brilliant, pick up the tiniest issue, liase with our vets, and do super jobs helping to keep our horses fit & healthy. The one who comes as a favour kept my dear crocked LP happy and comfortable despite numerous times medical problems for years after I first thought I'd have to let her go (working with my vet, of course). She also worked on my very tricky giant Wb, who was poisonous when she was in pain, without batting an eyelid & won her over. Another picked up a fractional unsoundness on my current youngster and suspected a fetlock issue before the vet did. Turned out, she'd sprained a collateral ligament there. He also worked with the vet to get her sound and happy again. I'd echo the others, a good physio is worth every penny they're paid and then some. A bad one, eh, they've never lasted more than a session with me.
 
my experience with two different ACPAT phyisos-one is very highly regarded and lectures in equine physio. Never saw her do anything other than use her special machine and she only saw the horse walked up on the first occasion. The second (some years later) gave a full work up and various exercises but missed horse was bilaterally lame behind (vet had seen and referred -horse was having canter lead problems).
This was some years ago. I've since qualified as a Equinenergy bodyworker and have done the Masterson Advanced course -if I thought I had picked up on an issue I'd get a decent vet out.
 
It's the term "Veterinary Physiotherapist" that isn't regulated - anyone can call themselves one, without fear of reprisal. Where the law is clear is that bodyworkers should not work on a horse without veterinary referral, so anyone who comes out to a horse without at least communicaton with the treating vet, is not acting professionally. It only takes a phone call between vet and bodyworker for this box to be ticked.
However, if the horse has an issue, no-one should be carrying out any treatment without the vets say-so. Any lameness/issue that requires specific attention should be seen by a vet first.

I have always used ACPAT physios (other qualifications exist) as they are human/animal certified physios, and work to a code of conduct. Some of them use machines (h-wave/ultrasound/etc),and some of them don't. I now use my own vet, as she is also a chiropractor, and the results I've seen after her sessions are excellent. She also knows the horse inside and out already, and can put her vet hat on if she needs to.
 
. Where the law is clear is that bodyworkers should not work on a horse without veterinary referral, so anyone who comes out to a horse without at least communicaton with the treating vet, is not acting professionally.
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I'm sure this isn't true. I think you only meant this of the horse has an issue. I'm pretty certain that if your horse doesn't have any known issues, then they can come and check it over and give it a good massage without asking the vet first.

I called mine earlier this year just to make sure my boys were ok. They both have PSSM and had interrupted work for several months due to my health problems this year. I just wanted them checked over before I started anything serious again. No vet involved.
 
ycbm said:
I'm sure this isn't true. I think you only meant this of the horse has an issue. I'm pretty certain that if your horse doesn't have any known issues, then they can come and check it over and give it a good massage without asking the vet first.

I called mine earlier this year just to make sure my boys were ok. They both have PSSM and had interrupted work for several months due to my health problems this year. I just wanted them checked over before I started anything serious again. No vet involved.
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She's right. To operate with in the rules, they must speak the vet before seeing the horse for the first time, then they can carry out routine MOT's for the rest of the horses life without having to ask permission again. Vet involvement would only then become necessary if the horse develops a specific problem.
 
I use both a Veterinary Physio and an Osteopath depending on what I feel the problem is.
Both are amazing and worth every penny they charge.
 
I use an ACPAT physio, on recommendation from my vet.

She always sees him walk away and back, trot away and back, circle each way, and rein back to gauge how he's moving. Then checks him all over to identify trouble spots. Then does some muscle release work on him. Then advises me on how to help him, such as doing certain stretches, changing workload slightly, etc.
 
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