For a long time people have considered horse riding to be a sport in which the horse does all the work and the rider just steers it. However, those of us that have ridden know this is far from true. It is essential that the rider believes that they are an athlete and treats themselves as such. There are now numerous research papers supporting the fact that unfit, injured or just riders that have a dominant side can cause the horse significant problems, both in performance and soundness.
Services
Some of the conditions Physiotherapy can be effective in treating include:
- Acute and chronic spinal pain (Back and Neck)
- Acute and chronic peripheral joint dysfunction (Arms and Legs)
- Specialising in Sports injury’s
- Soft tissue injuries i.e. muscle, ligament and tendon
- Arthritis – specific treatments can relieve pain
- Repetitive strain injury – Tennis & golfers elbow, tendonitis, bursitis
- Post - operative care and rehabilitation (i.e. joint replacements and fractures)
- Personal injury assessment and treatment.
If you are not sure if Physiotherapy can help you, feel free to contact us and ask!
Some of the most common Physiotherapy treatments are:
- Mobilisations - Applied movements to reduce stiffness and relieve pain in all joints in the body.
- Manipulation – Osteopathic Techniques to restore normal movement to joints within the spine.
- Soft tissue / sports massage - To prevent or break down scar tissue, relieve muscle spasm and accelerate the healing process.
- Rehabilitative exercise - Personal programs devised to re-educate weakened muscles and restore full function and strength to prevent re-occurrence of the problem.
- Core stability and Muscle Imbalance – Similar to Pilates techniques to improve abdominal and spinal stability.
- Acupuncture – All parts of the body, for Pain Relief only
- Electrotherapy - A variety of techniques including ultrasound and T.E.N.S. to promote the healing process and relieve pain
- Cupping – Negative pressure therapy aimed to boost blood circulation and stimulate healing.
- Taping – Kinesiotaping techniques can help in many different ways including draining of swelling and bruising, reducing muscle spasm or increasing muscle function.
Packages
There are 4 packages available for rider analysis.
Riders assessment - this will involve an in-depth full postural analysis including muscle function tests. The aim is to identify any areas of pain, weakness and tightness that could cause asymmetry or lack of performance during riding. These sessions will take place at the ‘Rider Performance Clinic’ - DL2 1QT. Cost = £40 (45 mins)
Rider assessment plus: As above with the addition of: postural analysis on Mechanical Horse Simulator to highlight how the identified problems would affect you whilst riding. These sessions will take place in Morpeth - NE61 6AW. Cost = £65 (60 mins)
Assessment of Horse, saddle and rider interaction. The session will involve: a visual assessment of your horse’s movement in hand or lunged, a full assessment of your saddle fit and balance, an assessment of the rider whilst riding the horse, and a brief assessment of the rider off the horse. These sessions can be carried out at any venue and can be carried out individually. Cost = £65, or can be done in pairs. Cost = £45 per person. (60 mins)
The full Package: as no. 3. but this will also include a thorough treatment of the horse. Cost £100 (90-120 mins)
Following any of these assessments, the rider will be given a written exercise programme tailored to their pain / asymmetry / balance issues highlighted during these sessions.