Lameness

What is lameness

Lameness is a general term used to describe a dog that is limping, not weight bearing, dipping, bobbing or simply not walking properly. If your dog loses their ability to naturally weight bear or use a leg properly their quality of life is seriously affected. There are many different types of lameness bought on by trauma, injury or as secondary to a disease eg: arthritis

Lameness may be a result of

• Over exertion or over play
• A pulled or strained muscle
• General wear and tear via activity eg: ball chasing
• A fall
• A collision with another dog or object eg: tree
• Slipping down a hole
• Jumping and landing awkwardly eg: getting out of the car
• Repetitive strain
• Trauma recuperation eg: Road Traffic Accident
• Arthritis
• Deep soft tissue issues eg: Tendonitis
• OCD
• Hip Dysplasia
• Neurological condition
• And in extreme cases bone cancer

At the Canine Massage Therapy Centre many many dogs that come through the door have lameness issues; many can be completely resolved and injuries repaired, while lameness associated with issues like arthritis and hip dysplasia can be supported, lessened and significantly improved, you can see the results for yourself.

Always remember it`s the muscles which pull on the bones to make your dog move. If there are knots, spasms of other muscular issues (see list in drop down menu) the best thing to work on your dogs soft tissue is somebody else`s soft tissue. Although soft tissue symptoms will sometimes temporarily resolve themselves, you can pretty much guarantee they will return sooner or later. This is because the muscle will either begin scarring or repairing itself at the detriment to full muscular function. By catching it early and working on the tissue as soon as possible you can decrease incidents of lameness in the future.

At the Canine Massage Therapy Centre we are either looking for a complete resolution of lameness or a significant improvement in the severity of the lameness with associative issues eg: arthritis . It is one of the most common issues we see at the clinic purely because its manifestation is so visually apparent.

Massage helps lameness by

• Removing painful knots
• Removing spasms
• Releasing connective tissue restrictions
• Lengthening/Shortening muscles
• Making muscles more supple and flexible and able to cope with exertion
• Soothing areas of pain and soreness
• Ensuring muscles are able to work independently
• Breaking down adhesions (the body`s glue which temporarily repairs and then inhibits the full natural potential of the muscle
• Destroying scar tissue which impedes muscular activity

When applied correctly and safely, clinical canine massage can produce undeniable results. At the Canine Massage Therapy Centre we want to see an improvement in your dogs walking, movement and an improvement in their day to day quality of lire. You will be asked what results you want to see for you dog so we can work towards a common, achievable goal.