Did you know that a good percentage of surgeries are actually avoidable? How? Not by people running away and avoiding the surgery lol. The answer is actually Physical Therapy.
I can't tell you the number of patients I see that come in pre- op and post- op that tell me their stories and tell me that they have no idea how they actually injured themselves. I'm not talking about the patients who had a traumatic injury such as falling off a ladder, tripping and falling on their shoulder, or somehow breaking their arm. I'm talking about the people who genially had no specifically known cause for their pain or incident that caused them to have surgery.
These are the people I thrive on treating! Why? Because 9 times out of 10 their injuries are simply due to overuse and general weakness. What does this mean? I pretty much have free reign to treat these patients and do everything in my power to get them back to their everyday lives! Added bonus, there's the possibility of said patients not needing to have surgery!
Is that always the outcome? absolutely not. There are a number of time where we provide all that we can to these patients and surgery is still the answer. But guess what, since they've actively been involved in PT before their surgery, their recovery is that much easier, and they are more likely to progress faster!
Don't get me wrong though... I do love my post- op patients just as much, mostly due to the complexity of the recovery process. I also love seeing a patient going from having literally no use of their arm to lifting heavy weights up and over their head with ease in an approximate 6-month span. Nothing beats that feeling.
Now, if all that is possible for people, why not for our equine partners as well?
I understand, not all surgeries are avoidable. Horses are big, heavy, and honestly pretty reckless animals. I truly believe they thrive on making their owners stress and worry about them on a daily basis. I'm also convinced they have access to our bank accounts and know when we are starting to financially recover, just enough to cover the next vet bill after they magically hurt themselves?!? It's a vicious cycle that as an equestrian you will be all too familiar with.
That being said, why aren't we doing more for our horses to prevent such surgeries or events from happening? Try Pre-hab.
As I mentioned above, I have many success stories of patients being able to return to their daily lives without surgery. Pre-hab is a wonderful thing! Obviously, it isn't always that easy with horses, mainly due to the fact that they can't talk and tell us what's wrong.
Thats where your equine professionals come in such as your vets, therapists (Hi!!), dentists, chiropractors, farriers, the list goes on.... We are here to help you understand your horse better and what it is that they might need. We aren't there just to take your money, believe it or not...
Let's not forget though, you or your horse don't have to be hurting to benefit from prehab. Why do you think people invest in personal trainers? To improve their body condition! Well guess what, I can do that too.
Maybe your horse isn't showing signs of pain, but you notice his hind end is feeling a little off or weak. Are you always going to call the vet right away as if he or she is lame? probably not, even if you do (in an ideal world we all would). Thats why calling your rehab specialist might be a good idea, even if it's just to get a quick consult (which I gladly offer), pick someone else's brain before you spend potentially hundreds of dollars just to be told your horse is dramatic or lazy and that you need to change up your conditioning routine.
If the vet is the route you choose (let's be honest we all have our preferences and people we trust, I know that), where do you go from there? Sure, you can run to your trainer, you can do a quick search on google, you can even ask a friend. But guess what, unless that advice you get or read is from a trained professional, such as me, it might not be the answer you need... I say this with confidence because I've seen it happen. 9 times out of 10 what advice is given won't necessarily hurt your horse, but it also potentially won't make it better. You need a professional who knows how to assess and hone in on specific areas that need to be changed and improved in your horse.
Take my example from above, your horse is off or weak in the hind end. The vet came out and none of the flexion tests or palpation examinations came back positive, or significant enough to suggest needing injections. Ok great, saved that money. But here's the other problem, where is the issue stemming from then? Why are you feeling what you feel when you ride? This is where a rehab specialist steps in and gives you a specific guided exercise routine (prehab program) that progresses over time to help increase your horse's hind end strength. This in turn reduces that "off" feeling you were noticing, and highly reduces the chances of having those symptoms progress and develop into something much more serious such as injury.
So if all of this is possible from adding one more person to your horses healthcare team..... why aren't you looking for a rehab specialist?
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