I often use the word “massage” and “myofunctional therapy” interchangeably. Massage is easier to say and generally better understood, but there is a subtle difference.

Massage is but one of the techniques in the canine myofunctional therapist’s tool kit.

Massage is derived from the French word “amaser” meaning “to knead”. It is a manual technique involving the hands mainly, to manipulate muscle and soft tissue. Massage is an ancient technique dating back 4000 years to China. The ancient Greeks and Romans also used massage and it has been used throughout history to the current day where it is recognised in human and animal health as a valuable complementary therapy. (McBride 2004, Robertson 2010)

While canine myofunctional therapists use massage, we also apply other techniques to achieve our objective.
The term myofunctional breaks down to “myo” being muscle and “function” being how something works. Myofunctional therefore quite literally means how muscles work. The Small Animal and Equine Naturopathic Association (SAENA) defines myofunctional therapy as:

“The application of a range of massage techniques to the muscles and soft and connective tissues, to promote or restore biomechanical functioning and range of movement.”

Canine myofunctional therapists look at the function of muscles and determine how we can improve it. The function of skeletal muscles is to hold the skeleton together, protect the organs, and most importantly to produce movement. As canine myofunctional therapists, we identify when the dog is not moving “normally” or when there are abnormalities in the dog’s musculature. We understand which muscles should be performing the movement and how.

With this knowledge, the canine myofunctional therapist chooses the most appropriate techniques to improve muscle function. Massage may be just one technique used. We also apply range of motion (ROM) exercises, stretching, mobilisations, conditioning and body awareness exercises.

Full Stride provides in home and clinic based treatments to suit all dogs. Please contact me to discuss how canine myofunctional therapy and massage may benefit your dog.

Sources:

McBride, S. D., Hemmings, A., & Robinson, K. 2004. “A preliminary study on the effect of massage to reduce stress in the horse.” Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 24(2), 76-81.

Robertson, Julia 2010, The complete dog massage manual, Veloce Publishing Limited, Dorset UK

Small Animal and Equine Naturopathic Association – http://www.saena.com.au/