cross-friction massage

[mikeball 108]

I've been reading a lot about these and how to do them.

They work really well with damaged tendons and improving the health of a tendon.

What I won't to know is can this be done by me whos a novice? Or should it be a vet who does this?

I feel conferdent i could do it but it's effectivly physio therapy so if not done correctly could cause more harm than good.

Cheers

[mikeball 108]

Bump

[Rogue and running dog 26]

Cross friction massage is a very simple type of massage! That aids in getting fresh blood to the area! There's no great science to it and you would be fine doing it yourself! But what I would say is ha if your doing it around damaged ligaments and tendons be careful not to put too much pressure n as you could cause harm!

 

If you've got a specific problem pm me might be able to help ya

[skycat 6,174]

This link explains it very well: http://www.homevet.com/browse-articles/item/513-how-do-i-treat-soft-tissue-injuries-in-pets

[Taz-n-Lily 62]

Well here's something I can speak about with a bit of knowledge (being a novice with lurchers). It's sometimes difficult for a noob to contribute positively on a specialist forum like this.

 

I've done a lot of cross-frictional massage on humans in my professional life. Usually it's used to speed up healing in already-healing torn tissue ( this could be muscle, or around ligaments and tendons). So you wouldn't use it on a new injury, or on an injury which, for whatever reason, is not healing. Neither would you use it on ligament or tendon damage where the tissue is badly torn and needs sutured.

 

It's most useful on areas which have been injured, seem to be alright, then re-injure as soon as the area is exercised, so I guess you would use it on dogs in this instance. I've used this technique on my old dog when he pulled hamstrings, which he did frequently, and he always responded within 3 treatments, but he wasn't a running dog.

 

Massage at 90 degrees to the injured area, start light and apply more pressure after a few minutes. Never apply enough pressure to hurt your patient (you don't need to), and 10 minutes every other day is enough. The aim is to break down any small adhesions which are stopping the tissue from healing, and to increase blood flow to the area to speed up the healing rate. You have to give the body time to heal, so no hard exercise while treatment is going on, and don't treat every day.

 

If done correctly you'll see a difference within three treatments. You may need ten or more to cure the problem.

 

Just to add (now that I've been out with the mutts, had a think, and had another read) that biological tissue is pretty much the same in dogs and humans. And the other posters are right - you can do this yourself - it may be worth trying it on yourself so you can get an idea of how much pressure to apply. You don't need much to effect a change for the better.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Taz-n-Lily

[mikeball 108]

Hi taz-n-lily I've sent you a pm thanks

Rouge and running dogs you also have a pm

Cheers mike