HFRS Open Day

About Tom McMullen
Tom has been an Osteopath & Physical Therapist for the past 15 years and practices from his own clinic based in his home town of Dunbar East Lothian.
He moved into this line of work after serving in the Army as a musician and medical assistant for 6¹/₂ years.

After receiving a diploma in Remedial Massage and Advanced remedial massage from the Northern Institute in Blackpool, he studied Sports Injuries for two years at Lillishall - the Football Associations National Rehabilitation Centre - where he received diploma in the treatment of sports injuries.

Tom had been involved in Football and Rugby at both amateur and professional level. His skills were put to good use when he worked as part of the medical team for the Scotland International Rugby squad for 6¹/₂ years. During this time he travelled with the national squad to Argentina in 1994, South Africa in 1995 (for the World Cup) and New Zealand in 1996.

In 1995 he decided to stop his globe-trotting and establish his own Physiotherapy and Osteopathic Clinic. However, he had always had a keen interest in horses and had worked with them for several years in his younger days. He wanted to expand his horizons and combine his treatment skills with his interest in horses.

He enrolled in a 10 month course on Animal Osteopathy run by Stuart McGregor, the world famous Equine Osteopath, and successfully completed this course to become a qualified Equine Osteopath.

Osteopathy is not a cure-all and there are times when surgery may be necessary and you would be referred back to your Veterinary Surgeon. However Osteopathy can help with rehabilitation after surgery.

Equine Osteopaths are trained to recognise and treat many causes of pain. They work with with their hands using a wide variety of treatment techniques. These may include soft tissue massage, stretching techniques, rhythmic passive joint movements, and mobilisations to improve joint mobility, or high velocity thrust techniques designed to improve the mobility and the range of movement of a joint.

Osteopathic treatment may be indicated if your horse is suffering from any of the following

Loss or decrease in level of performance.
Problems of difficulty executing desired movements.
Behavioural changes (i.e. refusals, bucking).
Short striding
Diagnosed conditions, such as degenerative arthritis.
Muscle imbalance, spasms, or atrophy.
Gait problems, such as cross-canter, loss of collection, refusal to pick-up lead.
Stressful situations, such as conformation of the horse, various riding and training equipment, performance level and ability of the rider, shoeing.
Injuries resulting from falls, training, or other activities.

For further details & costs for the course please contact Mrs E Comrie on 01506 811351 or via e-mail enquiries@hfrs.co.uk