As well as both my physiotherapy practise and teaching, I devote my time to various canine physiotherapy related research projects for both academia and industry. As a dog physiotherapist and scientist I am passionate about enhancing knowledge that benefts animals and owners alike, with projects that also inform the veterinary physiotherapy industry as a whole.
Evidence based practise is a term used to describe only using therapies for dogs that have been studied and proven to be effective. One of the difficulties for veterinary physiotherapists is that there isnt a huge amount of data that relates specifically to dogs. Research filters down from human studies and although we are both mammalian species, there are some obvious anatomical and physiological differences! That being said, some of the fundamental therapies for dogs such as massage, low-level laser therapy, pulsed electromagnetic therapy and stretching all have a basis of fact within the scientific literature.
Below are links to some of my published data, and full copies of all works are available on request:
Injury risk factors associated with training and competition in flyball dogs
Frequency of injuries and orthopaedic conditions sustained by flyball dogs
Kinetics and kinematics of dog walk exercise in agility dogs of different experiences
A study using a canine hydrotherapy treadmill at five different conditions to kinematically assess range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine in dogs
Analysis of risk factors for agility dogs completing a dog walk agility exercise
Kinematics and kinetics of dogs walking over increasing heights of cavaletti exercise
Pressure and force on the canine neck when exercised using a collar and leash
A systematic review of the biomechanical effects of harness and head-collar use in dogs