Physio Expertise

Physiotherapy in the veterinary world is a Profession that requires 4 to 6 years of study to qualify. 15 or more years ago the only way to become a veterinary physiotherapist was to be a human trained physiotherapist first. Over the past dozen years many courses have popped up to provide training to qualify directly as a veterinary physiotherapist without needing to be a human physio first. These courses have taken a number of years to get up to scratch and provide the indepth knowledge that a veterinary physiotherapist needs. The courses that meet this standard are assessed by and listed on the RAMP Register.

The physios that work with Classic Physiotherapy are all trained to this top class standard and are registered with either ACPAT or RAMP.

The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) is the professional group for Chartered Physiotherapist i.e Human trained first.

RAMP is an industry regulator of Musculoskeletal Professionals in the animal sector plus the top class training courses. It provides regulation for Physiotherapists, Osteopaths and Chiropractors that work with animals. It ensures training and professional standards are met and kept up.

ACPAT Physios first study for three years to attain a degree in human physiotherapy. This training includes at least 1000 hours of supervised hands on practical physiotherapy within the NHS.  After working as a Physio with people ACPAT physios go on to study at Masters Level for a further 2 or 3 years to learn to use those Physiotherapy skills with animals. We learn animal anatomy, physiology, biomechanics , relevant pathologies and treatment options, the operations performed and relevant medication. The initial human training is very valuable for learning and honing the skills in neuro-musculoskeletal assessment and treatment techniques. 

A Veterinary Physio can do the ACPAT training but choose not to register with ACPAT but register with RAMP which still proves their high standard of training or can do a RAMP registered degree course to prove that same standard.

Physiotherapy is a PROFESSION that promotes quality of movement and healing of tissues leading to optimising functional outcome and the quality use of the body. It is a science based profession that uses scientific research (ref) as part of assessment and treatment strategies. ACPAT and RAMP Physiotherapists have a depth of core knowledge that includes anatomy and physiology, joint mechanics, functional biomechanics, disease pathophysiology and tissue healing. We are experts in rehabilitation and provide assessment and treatment for animals post-op, pre-op, post injury, neuro issues and for conservative management (ref)