• Use your Pre & Post Event Routines before training & competition
• You can use a shortened version of the pre-event routine in-between runs, just use Effleurage & Shaking to stimulate before performance
• Always make sure your dog is hydrated; dehydration can lead to cramp.
• Restrict playing ‘Tug’, this places extra strain on the neck which can affect jumping and contacts
• NEVER run a dog cold straight out of the van or car. You wouldn’t expect a sprinter to do it, so don’t expect your dog too
• NEVER put your dog straight back into the car after a run. Trot them round and allow them to cool down naturally, so lactic acid and other by products of exercise can be reduced
• If your dog has back problems don’t ask them to ‘Beg’; the dog’s back is not made for vertical loading
• NO BALL LAUNCHERS! These place a lot of undue stress on the stifle and are a great way to help along cruciate ligament problems
• Do you have Laminate Flooring and/or slippery Tiles in the house? PLEASE put down runner carpets for your dog, these surfaces are like ice skating rinks for the canine and cause many problems in the muscular system
• Do you suspect a muscular strain or pull? Feel for heat with the backs of your hands and apply ice in a sandwich bag covered in a damp piece of kitchen roll (NO TOWEL) for 8-10 minutes, twice a day for the first 3 days after injury. NEVER apply ice directly before an event.
• Don’t ask your dog to do what they perhaps cannot. Stand back and assess your dog; is their training problem actually a physical problem?
• Get your dog checked by a Professional Canine Massage Therapist from the Guild and a Physiotherapist before, during and after a competition season; don’t wait for a problem to manifest.

If you would like to learn more, or are considering organising a workshop for your club, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I offer the following Massage and Conditioning workshops: 

• Beginner’s Guide for Canine Massage
• Warm Up and Cool Down Massage
• Canine Conditioning Foundation
• Canine Conditioning Advanced
• Active and Passive Stretches

In addition I also offer, Agility, Hoopers, Scent, Puppy, Junior and Tricks classes. If you would like more information, please contact me and check my website: www.pawsibilities.co.uk

Best Wishes

Agnès Campan

Muscular Injury and Myofascial Dysfunction

Strain

A tear to the muscle or tendon caused by overstretching or overloading. Grade 1 – 10% of fibres affected. Grade 2 – 50% of fibres affected. Grade 3 – Complete rupture.

• Chronic Strain also referred to as Repetitive Strain Injury or RSI. Prolonged, repetitive movements create tears within the muscle and/or tendon. Usually results from prolonged overuse and inadequate rest periods. Common in dogs with orthopaedic issues, agility dogs and often caused by daily activities in the pet dog

• Acute Strain results from a direct trauma to the body e.g.: Overstretching of a muscle causing an immediate tear. Potential causes of Acute strain could be slipping on laminate flooring, jumping, ball chasing. Symptoms of an acute strain can be the sudden pain, the inability to get up, Collapse, Episodic Shaking and or/Vocalising

Trigger Point

A hyperirritable band of focal point tension causing ischemia and patterns of pain referral directly in the muscle and also distant from its original location

Common causes: Repetitive actions, sustained loading of ADL’s, previous muscular injury.

Prolonged inactivity e.g.: crate rest, secondary overcompensation to orthopaedic issue

• Trigger points are not the same as acupressure points. A Trigger Point is an abnormal biomechanical and mechanical area of contracted soft tissue. An acupuncture point is a location on the body associated with the meridian lines where a needle may be inserted.
• Trigger points mimic the symptoms of other diseases
• Trigger Points and Myofascial Pain don’t typically respond to NSAIDS (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs)
• Painful, irritable and restrict ROM
• Refers pain, cause of chronic pain

Myofascial Pain

Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s fascial network which affects muscle and bone. As a chronic condition MPS affects the fascia or connective tissue covering the muscles.

Common symptoms:

• Limping for a few steps then walking it off over time
• Skin twitching/flinching/quivering
• ‘tickly spot’ in middle of back
• Not liking the back legs to be touched
• A restricted ROM
• Coat changes
• Exaggerated pain response and/or chronic ongoing pain issues e.g.: Arthritis