CC220 Massage for Canine Athletes

Week 1:
• Fundamentals of Massage – Intent and Contraindications
• Anatomy lesson: Main Body Groups and Orientation
• Massage Techniques: Opening and Effleurage

Week 2:
• Assessing your dog before massage
• Anatomy lesson: Superficial musculoskeletal system
• Massage Techniques: Petrissage & Closing massage

Week 3:
• Working with YOUR dog
• Anatomy lesson: Deeper musculoskeletal system and bones
• Massage Techniques: Direct Pressure
• Embracing your intuitive Side

Week 4:
• Working with YOUR dog
• Anatomy lesson: Ligaments, Tendons, and Joints Oh My!
• Massage Techniques: Friction
• Whole body massage video walkthrough

Week 5:
• Stretching – active and passive
• Anatomy lesson: Common areas of tension
• Massage Techniques: Skin rolling, tapotement, and fascia
• Lumps and Bumps

Week 6:
• Reviewing your assessments
• Anatomy lesson: Sport specific issues
• Massage Techniques: “other” considerations and techniques
• Fitness and alternative therapies

Understanding what your fingers are feeling

Your hands are excellent tools in being able to assess your dog’s muscles, but knowing what you are feeling can be hard at first! Each dog will have different feeling tissue, so familiarizing yourself with YOUR dog’s normal can be important. We call this exploration “Palpation”, which is the “art of feeling muscles for change and tension”.
• Healthy and young muscle should feel uniform and not necessarily soft, but much more uniform. It is often pliable and supple with an elastic quality and the dog has no behavioral reaction when palpating the muscle.
• Areas that are “tight” are often firmer in a section or the whole muscle and can be hard to the touch if very tight. This firmness is created by muscle fibers that are still in the constricted position. It can feel ropey or cord like and will often have a painful reaction when palpated. It is less elastic and supple and may block feeling the structures beneath superficial muscle.
• Muscle that has scar tissue, from a previous injury, is caused by collagen adhering to a part of the muscle to help strengthen it. This can create a knot, or over time more permanent scar tissue. Scar tissue feels uneven under your fingers, and often more dense/hard. Through massage, it is possible to break up some of this scar tissue, or it can also be done through other techniques like ultrasound. The scar tissue is a protective mechanism from the body to create stability in a damaged or weak muscle.
• “Older” muscle fibers that have undergone more use and micro traumas will often have a more textured feel under your fingers from small amounts of scar tissue over time. The fascia may be adhering to itself within or between the muscles, the muscles have small areas of hardening and the muscles are no longer as supple as they once were.

Using what you feel locally to help you understand the WHOLE system

As you assess heat, tension, behavioral reactions, note if it was bilaterally similar (occurring on both sides). Compensation occurs when the dog is using other muscles in order to reduce the strain and weight bearing of an area of pain or reduced stability.
For example, if there is pain in the front right limb, the dog will shift its weight during activity (or even in static positions) to avoid triggering further pain. This will result in increased muscle use, and tension for you to feel, within the left front limb. There will also be an opposite effect on the opposite back limb (left hind), which can take the weight while balancing during movement. If there is compensation like this occurring, it is common to feel increased stress through the back due to the overuse of the core to compensate for balance. The WHOLE body is affected.