Veterinary Massage
Much like us humans, animals can really benefit from a bit of relaxation and spa treatment. Whether they are top sports athletes, family pets or in the later stages of life, all animals can benefit from massage. Massage focuses on resolving issues in the muscular system which if left untreated can effect their mood and quality of life.
Massage is a hands on manual therapy requiring differing levels of pressure to resolve the underlying causes of pain and discomfort. It is important to always warm up the muscles before we go in with any strong or deep movements. Any massage will start with a period of effleurage, this consists of a stroking motion that gets the tissues moving and blood flowing. If I were getting a massage I wouldn’t want my therapist to go in full force on my sore spots with no warning, so it makes sense we treat our animals with the same respect. After all the tissues are sufficiently warmed, other techniques can be added to get a more specific outcome. For example, areas of tension and ‘tight skin’ down the back of a dog can be loosened using a technique called skin rolling. This increases the flexibility of the tissues while relieving muscular tension. Another massage technique involves applying some friction to areas of scar tissue. This helps break apart adhesions and scar tissues allowing tissue fibers to realign.
Alongside the physical benefits, there are also deep psychological benefits. These benefits all stem from the feeling of relaxation massage promotes. Stress hormones are reduced and happy hormones are released impacting the overall mood, the breathing slows and blood pressure decreases which are some of the signs us as human can see showing this increased state of relaxation.
These are just a few massage techniques you will likely see us using during your animals treatment so If you see us using some strange hand movements and want to know in a little more depth what we are targeting, just ask!
What can massage help with?
Pain relief
Improved mobility
Relaxes muscle spasm
Faster recovery times
Improved mood - reduced stress and anxiety
Better skin and coat quality
It is important to remember that when recovering from injury or surgery, different areas of the body can compensate for a lack of use or area of pain. This is a bit easier to understand if we relate the same situation to ourselves. In the past when I have sprained my ankle, the other healthy ankle has taken the majority of my weight through it and therefore has become sore and overworked. This is exactly the same for animals as to why you may see us treating the ‘wrong leg’.
