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The goals for massage in canine rehabilitation are to maintain, restore, and enhance the recovering dog after injury. It includes relaxing those areas that have been compensating while the injury heals.
This is a huge topic. Worthy of a weeklong workshop. For the next few minutes, let’s learn about massage in k9 rehabilitation.
When we think of rehabilitation our minds automatically go to physical therapy. Fix the mechanics.
Disfunction can be physical or psychological. The whole dog needs to be healed. That’s the benefit of including massage in every rehab protocol. Massage has an effect on every aspect of the dogs life.
Techniques in human and animal care that we’ve been using for thousands of years: Massage. Touching, Holding, squeezing. Applying pressure. Moving joints. Facilitating movement in water.
These first and ancient protocols still have a place in the modern veterinary science, especially with rehabilitation.
Canine rehabilitation is taught in every vet school. It is now part of the practice of veterinary medicine. Canine rehabilitation is the fastest growing market segment in veterinary medicine. Rehab takes the newest techniques in veterinary medicine and physical therapy and enhances them with the ancient practices of tried and true massage and bodywork. That’s what massage brings. That’s the reason that every rehabilitation protocol includes massage.
Massage identifies areas that have meaningful variations in temperature, texture, shapes, and reactivity and works them back into balance. It restores movement. Massage works on the soft tissue, the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia.
During exercise there are tiny muscle tears. Massage moves body water. It floods the injured area with fresh blood to aid healing. It reduces internal scarring.
Massage enhances posture, movement, & gait. Enhances the healing effects of hydration, sleep, play, digestion & elimination.
It is not just the physical machine that needs healing. The body and mind are inseparable. Massage works on both the dogs body and the mind.
Massage eases the mind. Helps with calmness, balance and psychosocial behaviors.
Sometimes dogs develop habits that they developed to accommodate pain or fear of pain.
Dog limps after leg is healed.
Anticipatory anxiety in dogs. They are worried about what cd happen and become very selective about what activities they are willing to do, even the dog they play with. If a dog was attacked at one dog park, he may refuse to enter any dog park. If a dog had a bad experience with 1 nail clipping, he may resist for the rest if his life. Dogs have long memories.
Massage helps them address fears in the same way non-verbal therapy helps us when we need it.
Rehabilitation needs
Repetition and consistency.
Dogs are all different. Some will respond with a couple of treatments. Some may need more. It addresses more than the specific injury. It addresses the body and mind the injury incapacitated.
In rehab massage, visualize of what happens inside the joint during joint compression and mobilization. Think of what happens in the muscles under small knots.
Visualize movement of body water. Restore the flow.
Restoring circulation is everything.
That increases flexibility-feeling-balance-confidence.
