For your information here is a short resume of some of the main styles of massage used in canine massage. The principles and terms used are very similar to those employed with human subjects. What is described here in relation to humans is also relevant for dogs.
Swedish massage
Swedish massage is closest to the traditional, classic style of massage, from which many other styles have developed. It is generally an all over body massage that works the soft tissues and muscles to improve circulation and create a general sense of relaxation by soothing aching muscles to restore health and vitality.
The practitioner typically employs various techniques to this end, including stroking and gliding (gentle movements at the start), kneading (compressing and lifting muscles), rubbing (applying friction), tapping (to increase blood flow) and vibration (rhythmic shaking). Unlike deep tissue massage it uses soft strokes on the bonier parts of the body and stronger ones where there is thicker muscle coverage. There is little doubt that it helps with short-term pain relief and is a pleasant and relaxing experience.
There is evidence that it helps treat a whole host of more serious conditions including low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches and fibromyalgia. Although scientific evidence is inconclusive it is still the best short-term ‘feelgood’ massage and does help to ease aching muscles, improve range of movement and increase blood circulation as well as improving sleep and helping calm emotional stress.
Sports massage.
Sports massage focuses on the manipulation of the musculoskeletal system or soft tissue. This soft tissue is the connective tissue and includes skin, mucles, tendons, ligaments and fascia. It is not solely aimed at people engaging in sporting activities but can help anyone with chronic pain and injury from activity. Strenuous and repetetive physical activity or trauma can cause damage to this tissue that needs to be corrected. As wellas helping repair damage, sports massage can also help prevent injury, enhance performance and generally provide a deep relaxation which in itself can help performance.
It reduces tension in muscles, improves ciruculation and can help with the elimination of
lactic acid that builds up during intense activity. Similar in some respects to Swedish
massage there are a number of techniques used including effleurage, kneading, wringing,hacking and trigger pointing. Effleurage is light friction used to warm up the musclesfor futher massage and also to promote the circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system.
Kneading involves lifting, rolling and squeezing soft tissues in a compressive action to break down and realign the collagen fibres. Wringing is compressing the soft tissues against their underlying structures and then gently lifting them up before pushing them back down again. Hacking is a percussive technique using the side of the hands and trigger pointing as the name implies is concerned with releasing the pain caused by trigger points.
The massage can be done pre-event and directed towards the areas of the body that are likely to be exerted or post-event aiming to help normalise the overused tissues to speed up recovery and prevent muscle pain (think performing dogs here too). In addition it can be used to help maintain fitness levels between workouts or more importantly to rehabilitate the body from injury by breaking down scar tissue, reducing inflammation and alleviating pain.
Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage focuses on the chronic tension found in mucles deep below the
body’s surface. When a person has chronic muscle tension or injury it is usually due to
knots of painful and rigid tissue that have built up in the muscles, tendons and ligaments.
These knots cause pain, restricted movement and inflammation. Like in all styles of massage, a variety of techniques are employed to break down these knots and encourage the muscles back in to their full range of movement. Deep massage tends to involve longer and slower strokes and more direct pressure or friction across the muscle
grain than other styles. Typically the fingers and thumbs are used to apply pressure and occasionally the elbows. Elements from more classic massage are also used but the focus tends to be more concentrated on the specific areas of tension and pain as well as much slower strokes.
Whilst Swedish massage is more concerned with general relaxation and recovery from everyday activities, deep tissue massage is used more for specific problems. In human subjects some examples are whiplash, repetetive strain injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and sports injuries like plantar fascitis.
Due to the greater pressure and intensity involved there tend to be more side effects associated with deep tissue massage. This is sometims due to the toxins that are released from the muscles but this is generaly solved by rest and good hydration. The muscles can feel more painful during and temporarily after the massage but this subsides.
Sleepiness, headaches and inflammation can also occur but will rarely persist and are in fact signs that the massage has been effective. Hormones are often released too, encouraging relaxation.
Myofascial release.
Myofascial tissue is an interconnected sheath of tissue that spreads throughout the body connecting muscles, joints and bones as well as supporting the vital organs. It is multi-layered and contains a liquid between the layers called hyaluronan which can become viscous or dry up causing problems in the body. Myofascia should be pliable and elastic- so where it is rigid and tight it also indicates a problem. Myofascial release is a kind of massage that treats chornic pain, sensitivity and tightnesss in this myofascial tisssue.
Pain usually comes from ‘trigger points’, which are small knots and tight areas in the taut band of muscle fibres and fascia. The pain can radiate out from these points to other parts of the body meaning that the origin of the pain experienced may in fact be in a different part of the body. Myofascial pain is different from other types of pain because it occurs in places where your myofascial tissue meets or crosses and this tendency
for the pain to radiate means it can be hard to identify it.
Pain in the myofascia can be from the muscle or tissue that has become bound or tight or from actual damaged tissue, often at the trigger point where there has been a contraction of muscle fibres. Both of these cause problems with blood flow to the area which further worsens the condition.
Massage reduces the pain by easing the tension in the trigger points. Since it is sometimes hard to know which trigger points are causing the pain, the massage is often applied over a large area. It tends to start with light pressure on the painful area and then works on the supporting sheath and from there to the surrounding trigger points.