A common canine muscular injury is the Strain.
I would like to share with you my own experience with one of my dogs, how he became injured, and one of the reasons it led me to becoming a Canine Massage Therapist.
Canine Massage - An Awareness Canine Massage was something that I had heard of but knew very little about, that was until around three years ago, when my own dog Bentley became profoundly lame whilst we were out walking. Bentley had stopped very suddenly to take a sniff at something, I hadn’t realised he’d stopped and had continued to stroll on - Lead still attached!Bentley went one way — I went the other, the two of us abruptly grounding to a halt with an ouch!
Immediately, Bentley started to limp on his left fore leg, at first ( and with my lack of knowledge) I thought that he had just pulled something, that he would walk it off.
This was not to be the case though and became the start of a long five month journey for Bentley and I until a light was shone in the form of Clinical Canine Massage!
Diagnosis & Frustrations Bentley is a very energetic dog who thunders around at the best of times, he doesn’t do anything lightly or with finesse, he’s a very busy boy with heaps of intelligence and gets bored very quickly. He’s generally not an easy dog to keep rested and also one that is petrified of the vets!
After Bentley became lame on our walk that day I thought the best thing to do was get him home and allow him to rest, see what he was like a little later in the day.
Unfortunately after a period of resting and upon rising Bentley was still very badly lame. I reluctantly got him an appointment with the vets — reluctant, as he becomes so very anxious and stressed at the vets. Bentley’s vet appointment was for the next day, upon arrival at the vets Bentley was still extremely lame, the vet could clearly observe this and examined as much of a Bentley as Bentley would allow! The vet advised me that Bentley had pulled a muscle and to keep him rested for a few days prescribing some pain relief for him.
A week later Bentley was still very lame, I had rested him to what I thought was an acceptable level, clearly at the time not knowing the extent of damage. I contacted the vets again and was advised to keep him rested for a longer period of time. I asked the vet for more of an idea on what exactly rest meant for Bentley, I was using my common sense, I knew not to take him out walking off of his lead and was walking him short distances only, but as far as keeping him contained indoors no advice was given. I obviously wasn’t going to allow him to hare about the house or play with my other dog, but I was still letting him outside in the garden to go do his toilets by himself. I was also still allowing him to get up on our sofa, and at the time had no runners covering certain areas of our wooden flooring which is fairly slippery. ( If I knew then what I know now, I would never opt for wooden flooring - Dogs just can’t get purchase on this because they walk on their toes - Slippery floor surfaces equals not only greater risks of muscular injuries but also NO chance of injuries healing, but that’s a post for another day!)
Bentley’s lameness persisted for weeks, weeks turned into months and both Bentley and I were getting upset and frustrated with trips backwards and forwards to the vets. And despite all of my best efforts in trying to keep Bentley rested and as contained as possible he was not making any progress in recovering from his lameness.
I had blocked off and covered over every possible object indoors that he could jump on and off. Bentley is not a dog that will accept crate rest he would do himself more harm trying to get out of one. By this point the vet had also prescribed some medication in an attempt to try and keep Bentley rested. I was advised that x-rays would be the next step. This was really upsetting and difficult for me to see Bentley in such a state.
Light at the end of the Tunnel
Finally, after months of vets appointments, a second veterinary opinion advised that maybe Bentley would benefit from some massage therapy - I was willing to try anything before going down the X-ray route due to the stress I know it would place Bentley under. We were recommended a Clinical Canine Massage Therapist.
I really wasn’t quite sure what to expect on our first appointment for massage treatment, I was apprehensive as to how Bentley would behave given he doesn’t like the vets, but from the offset it was very clear and reassuring to see how compassionate and caring the therapist was with Bentley.
The therapist was able to let me know that Bentley had torn his Superficial Pectoral muscle quite badly and as a consequence had a fair bit of overcompensation going on, not to mention the strains and myofascial pain in his back.
The therapist explained Bentley’s muscular injury and length of expected healing time in a way that I understood, she also advised me of all the things I could do to assist Bentley at home with his rehabilitation, runners on the wooden floor to stop him slipping, no jumping on or off furniture, to lift him in and out of the car, she also recommended supplements and put together a treatment plan for him so I knew roughly how long Bentley would be with her having treatments.
The Road To Recovery Within a few weeks of Bentley starting his massage treatments I was really starting to see results and improvements with him, over the course of time with a few hiccups in-between Bentley was back to his normal thundering rhinoceros self, and I was totally hooked and fascinated with canine massage! Hence how my journey here began!
As an owner with no previous knowledge of canine massage and having experienced the sheer frustration and upset that a lengthy rehabilitation can take from seemingly such a small injury I was so happy and relieved to at last be seeing results.
Discovery Having seen first hand how canine massage therapy has helped my beloved boy back to himself, I knew this was something I wanted to do! To now myself be able to help other dogs rehabilitate and manage symptoms associated from musculoskeletal injuries and conditions truly is the best job in world!
Bentley had sustained a grade 2 strain to his superficial pectoral muscle, just like in us humans this muscle is located within the chest (thorax) area and is responsible for assisting and supporting the forelimb throughout its various movements.
If you were to gently apply some pressure to you chest by placing your hand on it then moving your arm you can feel just how much muscular movement there is within this area and how it supports your arms movements. Now try to imagine some of those muscle fibres have torn, what impact would that have on your arms movement! Now imagine that your a dog that uses all four limbs to move about (quadruped) with weight distributed throughout, not easy and very painful!
What Is A Strain A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon that has been stretched beyond its capabilities resulting in the muscle or tendon fibres tearing or completely rupturing. A strain can be categorised into 3 grades, ( see diagram ) with each grade evaluating and defining the level of the strains severity. The 3 grades of strain, its symptoms and healing phases are as follows:
A grade 1 strain = Mild damage occurs in the form of minor stretching or tearing to only a few individual muscle or tendon fibres. Pain and symptoms are mild, symptoms may present as a little stiffness, soreness, or a slight lameness. Healing from a grade 1 strain can take anywhere between 2 to 8 weeks.
A grade 2 strain = Moderate damage to the muscle or tendon is formed by a larger amount of the muscle or tendon fibres becoming damaged and torn, the muscle and tendon remains in tact. Pain and symptoms are moderate, symptoms could present as, loss of some movements, limping, fatigued, bruising, change in temperament, or loss of appetite. Healing from a grade 2 strain can take anywhere between 2 to 4 months.
A grade 3 strain = Severe damage, this occurs when the muscle or tendon fibres have been completely torn and ruptured. Pain and symptoms are severe, yelping, screaming, wincing, unable to move affected area, panting, producing a lot of saliva, very obvious signs of chronic pain. Healing from a grade 3 strain can take anywhere between 9 to 12+ months.
How can Canine Massage Therapy help a strain?
By using various massage techniques and depending on the grade of strain and stage it is at, massaging can create space within the tissues and surrounding areas to bring fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients that will assist with cellular respiration in rebuilding and repairing the tissues.
Improving lymphatic drainage and the removal of metabolic waste. Reduces inflammation Relives pain and tension Relives and releases adhesions associated with scar tissue forming as result of a strain healing Assists with the remodelling formation of scar tissue Reduces and prevents overcompensation in surrounding muscles Loosens hypertonicity in surrounding associated muscles and tissues. By locating precise areas of torn fibres
If it hadn’t been for my vet referring Bentley for canine massage he and I would of spent an unforeseeable future with the following issues:
Having to go for unnecessary x-rays - Causing stress and anxiety for Bentley and myself Constant re-injury and pain cycles (RSI) Repetitive Strain Injury Medication prescribed for pain for lengthy periods of time. Restricted movement. Unhappy, upset, frustrated, worried. Never really knowing what is up Not knowing how to manage Bentley’s pain and exercise
Thank you for taking the time to read my post, I hope you have found it useful!
Please post and share (with photos of your dog ) any experiences with muscular issues your dog may have had or you think they may have.
Please contact me if you would like to find out more on how canine massage therapy could help your dog!
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