Maeve Sheridan is an ACPAT Chartered Physiotherapist based in Edinburgh, providing horse and rider physiotherapy assessment and treatment in central Scotland. The purpose of physiotherapy is to restore and maintain mobility, function, independence and performance. Physiotherapy can help your horse by relieving pain, increasing mobility and promoting healing. Often horses only display subtle signs of pain or discomfort such as a change in behaviour, a change in performance, stiffness or a change in their normal movement pattern. Physiotherapy is extremely useful in assessing this and providing the correct treatment or referring to the vet if there is an underlying condition. In the sporting horse, physiotherapy can help to achieve and maintain optimal performance levels. As the horse and rider is a partnership, any stiffness or pain in the rider will have an affect on how the horse moves and vice versa. Maeve is an expert at assessing where the issue lies in the partnership and treating this to ensure the optimum performance from both horse and rider. Assessment of the horse includes a full assessment of conformation and posture, a full movement assessment and a full palpatory assessment. Problem areas are identified and a full treatment plan, including exercises, is made. Maeve has developed a full rider assessment and profiling service which she uses to identify any assymetry of movement, weakness or stiffness that may be affecting how you move on the horse. Physiotherapy treatments used by Maeve include:
Exercises – to improve strength, stability, flexibility and balance, both during the treatment sessions and an individually tailored exercise programme to be done at home. Manual therapy – may include soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilisation, massage and myofascial release techniques. Electrotherapy - may include electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and pulsed magnetic therapy. Advice – on how to manage and improve the condition and adaptations to the home environment to help your horse. Due to their university training Chartered Physiotherapists have a strong scientific background and work closely with the Veterinary profession to ensure the correct diagnosis and treatment of animals. ACPAT Chartered Physiotherapists only work with veterinary referral or consent and have professional and public liability insurance. Veterinary physiotherapy is covered by most insurance companies.
