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Therapeutic Insight Article
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Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Release Perspective - Canine Myofascial Release Therapy by John F. Barnes, PT, LMT, NCTMB
I had an interesting experience with a dog in Maryland. I was giving a Myofascial Release II class, and a therapist came up and said, "I'm having this problem with my dog. He's about 8 years old now and has always been a wonderfully relaxed dog. We moved a month ago and ever since then,
he's been in a total state of agitation. He runs constantly, he never sits still, he's messing in the house, barking all the time and won't sleep. He never messed in the house or barked before. Is there anything you can do?"
I replied, "I don't know, but I am willing to try. Why don't you bring him in at lunch." She said, "Okay, but I can't tell my husband because he thinks you're crazy." I said, "Okay."
So, at lunchtime she brought him in. There were a lot of people in the room, so I just let the dog do his thing for a while. I just sat on the floor and eventually the dog came to me and I started to pet him.
Eventually I touched his head and back and he started to unwind and rolled on the floor for a while. I got this sense while treating him, and the message I intuitively received was, "This poor dog is in a total state of panic because its world has been taken away from him." All that
dog had ever known for eight years was that other house, and so it was in a total state of fear and panic. So I communicated to him visually and mentally, and I gave him permission to be calm. I explained to him that he has a new world to explore and that his parents/owners love him very much
and he will be safe in his new home.
It sounds stupid, but it works, and I'm willing to be stupid once in a while.
In any event, the woman came in the next day, laughing and said, "Well, my husband doesn't think you are nuts anymore. The dog stopped messing in the house, he stopped running around, he is not barking anymore and he slept the night through." Somehow there is this wonderful
communication that can occur and it's definitely worthwhile trying. I love animals, and myofascial release is a very loving thing to do for them.
Sincerely,
John F. Barnes, PT
3 responses so far ↓
Jan Lambert, PT – Dec 19th 2011 at 10:36 pm
Inter species communication at a basic healing level; so wonderful! Thanks John for your willingness all these years to go out on a limb and do what you know is right even if others initially don't believe. New ideas that are not yet accepted mainstream are so often ridiculed until
years later when more and more evidence shows them to be right. The earth used to be flat, right? PS, Did anyone see the show on TV that showed the close friendship between an elephant and a dog? When the dog became ill, the elephant stood vigil for several weeks. When the dog was
killed, possibly by a coyote, the elephant found it's body and brought it back to where it lived. It again stood vigil, and the other elephants brought the grieving elephant part of their food. A lot of empathy there!
Linda Miller, LMT – Dec 17th 2011 at 10:24 am
Working w/ animals is one of my favorite parts of Myofascial Release. They are so open to receiving and so open to teaching us. My neighbor's dog was hit by a car. I worked w/ the dog, which the vet wanted to put down. She now is walking, though still has a slight limp, and the
family is thrilled to still have their pet and amazed at what MFR did to save her life. When she sees me coming down the street nearly 1/2 a block away, she starts wagging her tail and as I get closer she presents that right leg for me to work on! She is a great teacher!
Eileen Huber, RN, MRT, CMT – Dec 14th 2011 at 9:03 pm
One of the most wonderful aspects of MFR is being able to teach owners how to treat their pets, and parents their children, enhancing the work they need us to help with, enhancing independence, etc. A friend of mine's 3 y/o sweet Lab, with already hip issues on one back leg,
partially tore an ACL on the other front leg, was limping and obviously experiencing pain. She asked if MFR might help.I taught her some of the basics to begin, and suggested she try them every day. Missy suddenly got worse(in hindsight possibly a healing crisis response to
the mfr), the vet scheduled surgery to occur in a few days. As it turned out, fortunately surgery was delayed due to my friend's husband sudden health issues, as my friend kept working with Missy every day, and after just a few more days she was much improved. She continues
treating her a little or more every day, it's part of her very enjoyed bonding/loving time,and Missy is happy and active, and is now able to enjoy her back yard by herself instead of being fearfully watched over every second. The vet is also happy with how Missy's doing.
John F. Barnes, P.T., L.M.T., N.C.T.M.B., is an international lecturer, author, and acknowledged expert in the area of Myofascial Release. He has instructed over 50,000 therapists worldwide in his Myofascial Release approach, and he is the author of
Myofascial Release: the Search for Excellence (Rehabilitation Services, Inc., 1990) and Healing Ancient Wounds: the Renegade's Wisdom (Myofascial Release Treatment Centers & Seminars, 2000). He is on the counsel of Advisors of the American Back Society;
he is also on Massage Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board; and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on 'You Tube'! Just click on the following links:
I had an interesting experience with a dog in Maryland. I was giving a Myofascial Release II class, and a therapist came up and said, "I'm having this problem with my dog. He's about 8 years old now and has always been a wonderfully relaxed dog. We moved a month ago and ever since then,
he's been in a total state of agitation. He runs constantly, he never sits still, he's messing in the house, barking all the time and won't sleep. He never messed in the house or barked before. Is there anything you can do?"