Soft Tissue injuries can be common in dogs due to how active they like to be! They can be caused by a sudden twist or turn, jumping in and out of the car, repetitive activities or just braking too hard. If these injuries are left untreated, they can become a chronic injury.

If you think your dog may have a soft tissue injury, you may notice;

  • Changes in their gait

  • Lameness or limping

  • Changes in behaviour

  • Reluctant to jump in and out of the car

  • Slowing down on walks

  • Twitching of the skin

  • Yelping when touched in some areas

  • For working and competing dogs, you may notice changes in their performance

What is a soft tissue injury?

Strain

A strain is an injury to the muscle or the tendon and can caused by overstretching, this can be due to a sudden movement your dog may make. There are 3 grades of a strain;

  • Grade 1-A mild strain (Less than 5% of the muscle fibres are damaged)

  • Grade 2- More damage to the muscle, but not a complete rupture

  • Grade 3- The complete rupture of the muscle. A grade 3 strain will require surgery to repair

Trigger Points

Trigger points are hyper-irritable spots within a taut band of skeletal muscle. They are very tender and can be debilitating if left untreated. Trigger points develop when a muscle is over-worked, possibly due to repetitive movement or a sudden overstretch.

Hypertonicity

A hypertonic muscle is a muscle which has too much resting tone. The muscle will feel hard and can become tight. When a muscle becomes tight it is more likely to develop an injury, such as a strain. Thankfully, hypertonic muscles respond very well to massage!

Myofascial Pain

Myofascial Pain Syndrome affects the fascia within the body. Fascia is a very important communication system for the body and so when restricted, can cause big changes in the dogs movement, character and activity levels.

Myofascial pain causes a reduced range of movement for your dog and you may notice them becoming stiff when they stand up or move around. You may notice your dog become more nervous, showing signs of anxiety or just generally not being themselves.

Canine massage can really improve Myofascial Pain with a technique known as Myofascial Release.

For more information, please get in touch!