08/06/2026
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด?
While most dog owners are familiar with muscles and joints, have you heard of fascia?
It is a network of connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, nerves, and organs throughout the body. Think of it as your dog's internal 'support web', helping everything to move smoothly and efficiently.
However, when fascia becomes tight or restricted due to injury, arthritis, surgery, repetitive movement or inactivity, it can lead to various issues, including:
- stiffness and reduced mobility
- muscle tension and discomfort
- changes in posture or gait
- reduced performance and flexibility
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ?
Remedial massage aims to improve the function of soft tissues by reducing muscle tension, improving circulation, supporting mobility, and encouraging relaxation and recovery.
Research shows that fascia plays an important role in movement, body awareness and force transmission throughout the body. Soft tissue therapies such as massage are widely used in canine rehabilitation to promote comfort and mobility.
If your dog seems stiff after resting, is reluctant to jump, is slowing down on walks or is moving differently to usual, it may be worth having their musculoskeletal health assessed.
Healthy movement is about more than just muscles and joints โ it's about the whole body working together.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ:
โข Journal of Anatomy (Ahmed et al., 2019)
โข Animals (Bergh et al., 2022)
โข Veterinary Record (Riley et al., 2021).
