45% of your dogs body weight is muscle and when this is affected you may see your dog become lame or stiff. Everyday activities and inactivity can all result in reduced range of motion and flexibility, lower energy levels, increased risk of injury and character changes. Initially you may notice that your dog is having difficulty jumping on/off the sofa or is no longer keen to go for a walk. This may be the result of an muscular or soft tissue injury which can be resolved naturally and non-invasively with remedial canine massage. Canine Massage may help:
For more information on some common injuries please see below:
Strains A muscle strain, commonly known in humans as a pulled or torn muscle. This injury occurs when the muscle has been overstretched, but it is not the stretch alone that causes the problem rather the tension on the muscle while it’s contracting. Such as when there is a quick jerk, twist or sudden movement. A muscle can’t repair itself by laying down new muscle fibre, instead scar tissue is laid down to bind the torn fibres together. This scar tissue is less flexible, hindering natural movement and making the muscle susceptible to recurring issues. Scar tisssue Adhesions Trigger points Overuse, nervous stress or a sluggish circulation due to too little activity can cause these trigger points to develop and a dog can have up to around 10 of these which can really affect its mobility. They are very tender and when pressed can cause referred pain in other parts of the body. Spasm A spasm is a sudden violent contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. It tends to happen in muscles that are overused and over loaded. The muscle in spasm will be painful and feel very tight as it is unable to release the tension. Spasm can occur due to prolonged activity, weakness in the affected muscle or by aggravating an existing problem. If not treated the spasm can develop into a hyper irritable trigger point. Myofascial Pain Fascia is a layer of connective tissue that covers all the muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones of the body in a web-like layer that allows them to slide and glide over each other minimising friction. If a there is insufficient movement or stretching of a muscle the fascial layers between the muscles can become stuck to one another restricting muscle movement and pain when pressure is applied. Myofascial pain syndrome is pain and inflammation in the muscles and soft tissue caused by constrictions in the fascia. This can lead to a reduced flow of fresh nutrients being delivered to the muscle and causing a build up of toxins irritating nerve endings. This, in turn, can cause the formation of painful, wide radiating myofascial trigger points. Sprain A sprain is an injury that occurs when a joint has moved beyond its limits, causing the ligament to overstretch, tear or rupture. Ligaments are the connective tissue that join bones to bones and stabilise joints. They made of flexible collagen strands but are not elastic. Their job is to hold the bones of a joint in their correct alignment and enable movement along the appropriate plane and to the appropriate degree but disallow movement in a direction that the joint is not designed for. They can stretch under tension and return to their original shape when relaxed, but they cannot return to their original shape when they have been stretched past a certain point or held in that position for too long |
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