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Pain Awareness Month, which is held in September each year, is an international campaign that aims to raise awareness of chronic pain and the impact that it can have on individuals. Whilst it is there to promote pain awareness in humans it is also the ideal opportunity to promote pain awareness in our pets too. Dogs and cats suffer from pain in much the same way that we do so raising awareness of this important!
So, what is pain?
Pain can broadly be divided into two types – acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute pain is elicited by a specific stimulus such as a trauma or surgery. The pain happens suddenly and starts out as sharp or intense. It is generally self-limiting and serves as a warning to the body that something is wrong. Acute pain generally lasts for a few minutes, to days or occasionally weeks and usually disappears whenever the underlying cause is treated or healed.
Chronic pain is pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing and can be intermittent or persistent and lasts for more than 3 months. Chronic pain serves no biological purpose and can be extremely debilitating, often leading to anxiety and depression. Chronic pain can originate anywhere in the body and can lead to Central Sensitisation – a condition of the nervous system which makes it more sensitive to pain and other stimuli. This in turn can cause hyperalgesia – increased pain from a painful stimuli and allodynia which is pain from a non-painful stimulus.
Clearly chronic pain needs to be addressed but how do you know if your dog is in pain? There can be several indicators:
A reluctance to exercise, sit, lie down, use the stairs etc.
Decreased activity, appetite or interest in life – stops playing with toys.
Limping, lameness or altered posture.
Anxiety
Change in demeanour to other dogs and humans.
Altered sleeping patterns.
Reluctance to be petted or stroked.
Constant licking or scratching a specific area (such as a joint).
There is a really useful assessment tool produced by the Canine Massage Guild called the Five Principles of Pain. It looks at Gait, Posture, Performance, Behaviour and Activities of Daily living to help dog owners highlight any symptoms that may indicate pain. Please feel free to download your copy by clicking on the button below.
Can Clinical Canine Massage help a dog in pain?
Absolutely! But it is also important to seek guidance from your veterinary surgeon in the first instance. Pain is best managed using a multimodal approach including medications, laser, home adaptations, warm and cold treatments and of course massage.
There are many areas within the musculoskeletal system that can be painful such as an arthritic joint, disc disease, hip or elbow dysplasia resulting in hypertonic (high toned) muscles, over-compensating muscles, myofascial pain, strains and sprains and trigger points. A skilled massage therapist will be able to identify these areas within the body by performing a muscular health check and then use his or her skills to address these problems during a massage treatment.
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