This Mini Series is aimed at veterinary nurses and will address the subject of physiotherapy in practice and how it can be integrated into a holistic approach to patient management in veterinary practice. We will look at how integrating physical, nutritional and psychological well-being can assist with management of mobility and disease processes and consider the principles of physiotherapy and the clinical reasoning that must be used to decide whether a technique or intervention is appropriate.

Pain assessment in the cat and dog will be considered along with how to develop an integrated pain management programme. From examination of the rehabilitation patient through to the decision making process which should assist in the safe development of a basic physiotherapy protocol, the sessions will provide you with a practical approach to physiotherapy in practice.

• Join Lowri Davies BVSc MRCVS Cert Vet Acup CCRP for three 2-hour sessions
• Essential practical tips from our expert tutor
• Comprehensive notes to download
• Self-assessment quizzes to ‘release’ your 8 hours CPD certification (don’t worry, you can take them more than once if you don’t quite hit the mark first time)
• 12 Months access to recorded sessions
• Watch the recordings at a time more convenient to you
• Superb value for money – learn without traffic jams or rota hassles

Programme

Under the Skin of Rehabilitation

This session will look at the principles that underly the development of a musculoskeletal rehabilitation programme. During rehabilitation, controlled stress must be applied to tissue to assist with repair. So how do you know when the challenge is too great or too little? Or which techniques can be used to manipulate the inflammatory process? We will concentrate on the fundamental principles of tissue healing and what happens to delay that healing process.

Topics covered will include:

• What is the definition of rehabilitation?
• How to use clinical reasoning
• How to assess and measure outcomes
• The inflammatory response
• Tissue response to injury
• Basic muscle biochemistry
• Muscle fatigue

Pain and Movement

In this second session we will address the diagnosis and management of chronic pain. We will look at which rehabilitation techniques can be employed to assist with pain management and to restore movement. We will consider why some animals seem to be in a lot of pain with very little tissue damage whilst others appear to be in no pain despite significant damage.

Topics covered will include:

• How to diagnose and manage acute pain
• How to diagnose and manage chronic pain
• Quality of Life questionnaires
• How to use rehabilitation techniques in the operating theatre
• Rehabilitation and critical care nursing

Nutrition, Training and Nurse Clinics

The final session will take a holistic approach to canine nutrition and training. Does what they eat influence their behaviour? How do we optimise nutrition for all stages of life including the sporting dog and the immobile dog? Rehabilitation techniques that can assist with puppy growth and development, obesity management and osteoarthritis management will also be considered.

Topics covered will include:

• How to work out daily energy requirements
• Nutritional requirements for protein, fat carbohydrate and essential nutrients
• Laboratory analysis
• Neuromotor training
• Core stability
• Proprioception
• Skilled performance

The price includes all 3 sessions, notes and quiz – 8 hours of CPD

*No traffic jams, accommodation hassles, pet or childcare, rota clashes, locum fees ……….. just great CPD and a valuable ongoing resource.

Course Feedback :

“This mini-series will enable me to work better with our orthopaedic vet to ensure that we are doing the best for our post operative cases and our older dogs and cats that suffer from osteoarthritis.”

“I found this course very informative and feel as though I have been able to take a lot away from it to improve daily in practice!”

“This course had great content and I would say not just for physiotherapists but for all paraprofessionals that work with dogs and offer the various therapies available!”