AJS Veterinary Physiotherapy

23/02/2026

A wonderful and insightful weekend at the Horses Inside Out: Soundness & Symmetry Conference🐴. A fantastic line up of speakers, a talk with Ros Canter- double Badminton and Burghley winner, lots of interactive displays and trade stands showcasing some incredible businesses and ideas! I came home with a beautiful painting, hand painted by Gillian Higgins herself!🦴There was lots to see and learn, I had a blast🐎

Thank you and for being great company! Hopefully lots more CPD in the near future… some very exciting things in the works, all will be revealed on here so do keep your eyes peeled👀 I can’t wait for next year🩵

30/01/2026

Here’s how the animal musculoskeletal industry is changing (and we’re here for it)!

✅ More transparency

✅ More clarity

✅ Better informed decisions

✅ Owners who KNOW that the practitioner they’re using is the best

The animal musculoskeletal industry is largely a new and rapidly evolving sector. A wide range of qualifications, therapies, training and skills, have made it difficult for owners to know who is suitably qualified, appropriately insured and working to a recognised standard.

This lack of clarity has not only made it challenging for owners, but has also created challenges for collaboration between vets and practitioners.

RAMP was created as an industry-led solution.

To give owners reassurance that our registrants practice at a gold standard.

To raise the standards of the MSK industry.

To support informed choices.

Our registrants meet our clear competency requirements, commit to ongoing education and practice to our gold standard.

To find our more about our registrants, DM the word “TRUST”

14/01/2026

Let’s talk… Tendon & Ligament Injuries!

Tendon and ligament injuries are relatively common. Anyone involved with horses knows how challenging they can be, and having rehabbed my own horse through bilateral hindlimb suspensory ligament injury, I know firsthand that it’s not for the faint-hearted 🤕

Tendons and ligaments are dense connective tissues vital for structural stability and movement. Horses have no muscle below the knees and hocks therefore blood supply is reduced🩸, meaning healing is slow 🐢

There is a lot we can do to help. Quality healing is essential — better scar tissue means a greater chance of returning to work and a reduced risk of re-injury.

So how do we go about rehabilitation in the initial stages?…

Box rest — the words no owner wants to hear. Crucial in the early stages, it allows the injured tissue to rest and begin healing while preventing further damage. Stable enrichment is important to keep horses content during this time.

In-hand walking becomes key as healing progresses. Scar tissue forms during rest, but lacks collagen and isn’t very elastic. The body begins to lay fibres down at the injury site but in a disorganised way. Gentle, controlled loading through in-hand walking helps encourage better fibre alignment, improving stretch and tissue quality.

Therapeutic ultrasound (US) is a useful electrotherapy which uses sound waves to:
• Increase cell membrane permeability for improved nutrient exchange
• Stimulate fibroblast activity and organised collagen production
• Encourage collagen fibres to align along lines of stress, particularly when combined with movement (the picture with the pick up sticks is a very good visual representation of fibre alignment!)

Rehabilitating these types of injuries can feel daunting and time consuming, but following these steps provides the best chance of optimal healing, a safe return to work, and a comfortable life❤️.

10/01/2026

RAMP Registration 2025/26

For a little while now I have been registered with RAMP- Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners and plan to renew with them as well as IRVAP in this coming spring!🎉

RAMP recognised and accredited the Veterinary Physiotherapy course that I studied at Writtle, and therefore I have been familiar with RAMP for some time. This can be reassuring for clients, not only did I study at a recognised institution, but also that I am fully insured, registered and have appropriate qualifications to be treating your four legged friends! 🐕🐎

RAMP are strict with their values and ethics, and rightly so! They ensure that all professionals demonstrate high standards and levels of care. Members follow strict codes of conduct, only work within their scope of practice and keep up to date with the world of veterinary medicine through a required number of annual CPD hours. I am continuously expanding my knowledge📚 (and will soon be visiting an exciting conference for more CPD hours! Keep your eyes peeled👀)

The next slide outlines RAMP’s fundamental principles, which puts your mind at ease that all of my patients are in very capable and loving hands!👍🏼

I am incredibly grateful for all of my clients so far and can’t wait to continue growing both my business and as a physiotherapist! Here’s to another year filled with helping your furry friends stay in tip top shape🩵

16/12/2025

A week ago we lost one of the most important members of the AJS team😔 Please bear with me🤍 Xx

09/11/2025

A lovely morning yesterday treating Bea and Misty! Both girls thoroughly enjoyed their treatment💆🏼‍♀️ I’m really pleased to see the progress from both of them! 🧡

If you think your animal may benefit from physiotherapy or if you have any questions, please contact us!

📧 ajsvetphysio@outlook.com
📞 07759255848

20/09/2025

Last Sunday our worst nightmare became a reality. Our beautiful little cat, Mouse, was hit by a car💔

She was rushed to the vet hospital where very quick intervention from the team there saved her life. She was diagnosed with a pneumothorax (air in her chest cavity), a suspected pelvic fracture and soft tissue damage to her tail. After a long 5 days she was discharged and we were able to bring her home! She is on pen rest for the next two weeks with lots of rest and TLC.. oh and treats of course!🐱

We are so lucky she is alive! After speaking with the vet today, I will assist Mouse in her recovery through use of my Pulsemag (PEMFT) to aid fracture healing and also aid with potential nerve damage in her tail. She’s able to get up and about very well so a lot of her rehabilitation will be focused on strengthening her muscles which are likely to atrophy during recovery.

For now, she is on some pretty strong pain relief and sleeping most of the time. Her younger brother, Mango, is keeping a very close eye on her🧡. In the meantime, project catio shall be getting underway so both our beloved cats can venture outdoors whilst also staying safe!💪🏼 Mouse, you are one tough little cookie🍪🤍

30/07/2025

🩵Patient progress🩵

MEET Poppet!!🐶 Poppet is an 8yo terrier mix who I have been lucky enough to know from when she was little and my goodness she’s cool!

In January 2025 Poppet fully ruptured the cranial cruciate ligament in her right hindlimb. Her owner, also a canine professional, opted for conservative management which is perfectly suitable for Poppet. When I saw her, for the first time post injury, in April she spent a lot of time resting in her crate and wasn’t able to fully weight bear, picking the limb up to get around. Fast forward to now and she’s weight bearing with only occasional toe touching, she’s also out of her crate and has more freedom. Poppet is doing exceptionally well, she’s out and about with her owner and the other dogs, she’s even been to the beach!! 🏖️

Poppet is much happier and has started hydrotherapy alongside physiotherapy to strengthen the limb. I see her every two weeks and am so pleased with the progress she has made! Keep it up Poppet💪🏼🩵

You can follow Poppets mum on her dog training adventure over on her business page A Piece of Cake Dog Training🐶🍰

26/07/2025

👏👏

At NEH we specialise in fracture repair. With horses referred by top vets from across the UK. Our use of CT before and during surgery and unparalleled experience helps to optimise the outcome, particularly for racehorses with many returning to win at the top level of competition. Here are just a few of the cases that we’ve repaired recently.

18/07/2025

I had such a lovely day on Wednesday treating four wonderful patients. Here are a few snippets from the session including a debut for my TENS/ NMES machine and some lovely releases from Oscar.. who could barely keep his eyes open during his session and throughly enjoyed his poll release😴🩵

If you think your animal may benefit from physiotherapy or if you have any questions, please contact us!

📧 ajsvetphysio@outlook.com
📞 07759255848

16/07/2025

Mango has something important to share🐱…

💡Did you know?💡

Many insurance companies offer cover for complementary therapies!! Meaning your insurers may offer to cover the cost of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy treatment😁

If you have been advised physiotherapy for your horse, cat or dog then check with your insurance company if they do provide cover and for how much, then get in touch!

If you would like to know more or book your animal in feel free to contact us via phone or email.

📞07759255848
📧ajsvetphys@outlook.com

24/06/2025

Let’s talk… Cranial Cruciate Ligaments!

In light of a large percentage of my cases coming to me for rehabilitation from cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) injury, I thought I’d make a post outlining what this injury is and what it could mean for your dog.

The CrCL attaches the femur to the tibia, prevents the tibia sliding forwards and stops the stifle (knee) from over extending or rotating. It’s the equivalent of the anterior cruciate ligament, ACL, in humans. However, this pesky ligament is notorious for degenerating over time and eventually going ping!

What types of injury can occur in the CrCL?

🤕Partial tear: Some fibers of the ligament are damaged, but it still functions to some extent.
🤕Complete tear: The ligament is fully torn, resulting in significant instability.
🤕Chronic degeneration: The ligament experiences micro damage over time, much like a fraying rope.

There are multiple factors that predispose the CrCL to injury including; genetics 🧬, conformation, hormone imbalances, obesity and inflammatory joint conditions🦴.

What symptoms might you see in your dog?

- Lameness in the affected hindlimb
- Difficulty getting up, jumping, or running
- Intermittent or persistent pain
- Swelling around the stifle
- Positive ‘cranial drawer’ test on physical exam where the tibia moves forwards when manipulated by the vet

Causes of CrCL injury:
⚠️ Acute trauma (e.g., a sudden twist or impact)
⚠️ Degenerative changes from age or overuse
⚠️ Obesity increasing joint stress
⚠️ Poor conditioning or muscle weakness
⚠️ Genetic predisposition

So after all that… what options do we have for treatment? There are a few!

Conservative management: no surgery! Starting with rest, rest and more rest! A rehabilitation plan can be put in place with plenty of exercises tailored to assist your and your dog to aid their recovery.

Ligament replacement sutures: Nylon sutures are placed in the femur to the tibia to replicate the original ligament.

Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA): Alteration of the direction of traction from the quadriceps muscle group. Preventing the femur sliding down the tibia.

Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO): Perhaps the most common fix! A cut is made in the top of the tibia, the plateau segment is rotated in order to lose the slope. Plates and screws then fix the bones in place.

It is a very common occurrence that when one CrCL is injured the other will injure at some point. However, dogs tend to recover well from CrCL injury providing they receive intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation plans to follow! Over the next few weeks I’ll be putting together posts outlining exercises beneficial to dogs rehabilitating from injury so stay tuned!👀

Pictures from Fitzpatrick Referrals, Kings Street Veterinary Hospital, Belton Veterinary Clinic, and Kyon.