Benefits of Massage in Cold weather
If you have ever injured yourself before you may have noticed that when the weather begins to cool off that injury tends to begin to get sore and achy. Or if you have no major injuries to speak of you may have heard an older family member complain about the colder weather making it harder for them to get around with their old joints. These unfortunate parts of having a moving body happen to our furry friends as well. But have no fear! Massage can help ease these pains!
Massage helps to improve circulation with the manual movements of the hands along the skin and also stimulates the lymphatic system to drain. Both of these things are good for a sore achy pet. The increase in circulation helps to get blood flowing everywhere but this especially helps with sore spots by increasing oxygen along with raising the temperature to the areas focused on. Even a slight raise in temperature from hand to hand contact can ease some of the pain. You can try this yourself. If you have a pet with a particularly achy joint you can do passive touch as we call it. All you have to do it place your hands over the joint. For example if the get sore in their back just rest your hands on top of their back, or if it is a hock . Place your hands around the joint. Then just sit there with them for awhile and see how they do after. Make sure your pet is comfortable with this touch. Depending on how painful they are they may not want you touching their sore spot directly so don’t force them. Start somewhere nearby and work your way closer slowly.
As for the lymphatic system, the lymphatic system helps to purge the body of waste and toxins. But if it gets “backed up” this can lead to an increase in pain as these things will build up in the body and can cause discomfort. Stimulating the lymph to drain can help to get your pet back to equilibrium and ease some pain naturally. A buildup of toxins in the body can cause flu like symptoms and we all know how great it feels to have the flu. The lethargy and aches can be debilitating for us and we can communicate that. But our fur babies can’t.
These are just a few of the ways that massage can make our pets feel better in cooler weather! Reach out today to book your pet’s massage!
Here is a sweet senior Beck to brighten your day.