I started out in canine massage to provide my (at the time 11 year old) Hungarian Vizsla non-invasive, gentle relief from the stiffness caused from osteoarthritis. While canine massage will not cure arthritis, it certainly helps my girl and many of my client’s dogs to relieve the pain and muscle tension associated with this condition.

Massage therapy for dogs with arthritis

Massage can be effective in breaking the cycle of pain, muscle tension, reduced activity, joint stiffness and loss of strength. When joints are painful, the dog will typically contract the surrounding muscles to “protect” the joint and minimise pain. Tense muscles remain in a contracted state which pulls the bones in the joint closer together and results in more pain and tension. Dogs will often adopt a guarded posture and gait to protect themselves from further pain. Changes in posture and movement often develop new pain points from abnormal loading and stress. (Millis & Levine 2014, Hourdebaight 2004, McFarlane et al 2014)

How does massage therapy benefit dogs with arthritis?

Massage assists by increasing blood flow to the muscles to loosen the contractures, lengthen the muscle fibres and relieve the tension. It also assists by removing toxic build up in the tense muscles and joints. (Millis & Levine 2014, McFarlane et al 2014, Perlman et al 2012)

In a human study of patients with osteoarthritis in the knee, subjects receiving massage reported significant reduction in pain and stiffness compared to those receiving their usual medical care. The group that received 60 minutes of massage compared to 2 × 30 minute sessions weekly, reported the greatest improvement. The benefits of massage in this study persisted for 8 weeks after the treatment. The authors concluded that periodic maintenance doses may sustain the benefits. (Perlman et al 2012)

Along with massage, I perform passive range of motion exercises to help maintain the health of the articular structures . Passive range of motion exercises have a number of benefits for dogs with arthritis:

• prevent some of the effects of misuse

• improves the extensibility of muscles and soft tissues,

• improves range of motion to assist with mobility,

• prevents adhesions,

• promotes synovial fluid production and diffusion

• improves cartilage lubrication and health.

(McFarlane et al 2014)

For more information about arthritis, supplements and non-invasive treatments please see the link below.

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/arthritis-dogs/

Please leave me a comment about how you treat your dog’s arthritis or send me an email via the Contact page.

Until next time, enjoy your dogs.

Sources

Hourdebaight, Jean-Pierre (2004), Canine Massage: A complete reference manual 2nd edition, Dogwise Publishing, Wenatchee WA, USA

MacFarlane, P.D, Tute, S.A & Alderson, B (2014) “Therapeutic options for the treatment of chronic pain in dogs”, Journal of Small Animal Practice (55) p127 – 134

Millis, D & Levine, D (ed) (2014) Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, Elsevier Inc, Missouri USA

Perlman, A. I., Sabina, A., Williams, A. L., Njike, V. Y., & Katz, D. L. (2006). Massage therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(22), 2533-2538.