The Benefits of Massage
- Improves muscle tone and increases range of motion
- Increases flexibility and performance
- Balances the body by treating it as a whole instead of individual parts
- Alleviates muscle pain and tightness
- Reduces inflammation and swelling
- Promotes healing by improving circulation
- Relieves muscle tension so that the muscles can relax
- Lengthens connective tissue which results in the reduction of adhesions in the muscle
- Loosens and softens scar tissue
- Prevents atrophy (wasting) of inactive muscles
- Trouble with transitions
- Trouble Picking up leads
- Shortened or choppy strides
- Girthing problems
- Irritability or resistance
- Hind end weakness
- 60% of a horse body weight is muscle.
- Muscles respond to injury or stress by hyper contraction resulting in unnecessary stress on opposing muscle groups and joints.
- Injury
- Not warming up muscles properly
- Cooling down too fast
- Structural or systemic imbalances
- Over stretching the muscles
- Misuse or overuse of the horse
- Like humans, horses anticipate pain and overcompensate to avoid it.
- Muscle problems are cumulative: when a muscle becomes tight, over-compensation increases tension in opposing muscle groups.
- Massage and equine body work can relieve many issues and enhance the quality of life of your equine athlete.
- Evidence of a fever
- Has any form of cancer
- Has any form of skin disease
- Has a contagious or infectious
- Massage is not to be administered to abscesses or tumors
Massage may be able to relieve:
Things to consider:
Muscle soreness can result from any or all of the following:
Massage is not recommended for:
Always remember massage therapy is not a substitute for veterinary medicine.
Lorre Mueller, ESMT, received her training and certification through world renown Equissage, Inc. in Virginia. Equissage, Inc. is a training school founded by equine massage pioneer Mary Schreiber.
Sports Massage
Sports massage differs from other forms of massage in that it focuses on the prevention of future muscle injury not just the cause of muscle injury and its relief. Sports massage utilizes classic Swedish massage techniques, which is a vigorous massage intended to energize and invigorate the muscles. The specific strokes used in sports massage are designed to break up muscle adhesions* in order for muscles to be restored to their proper function.
* Adhesions are "clumps" of tissue that restrict the proper shortening and lengthening of muscle tissue.
Myofascial Release
First, you must understand what fascia is and its function.
Fascia is the fibrous connective tissue which sheathes every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, and organ within the body. The fascial system supports, stabilizes and cushions the entire body, but its main function is movement. If the fascia becomes restricted inevitably movement is altered. Myofascial release is a hands on technique which restores the pliability of the fascia so that proper movement is regained.
Contact Information
Lorre Mueller
189 Sandy Creek Ranch Drive
Smithville, TX 78957
(512) 581-1429