Hypertonicity

What is hypertonicity?

Hypertonia, or hypertonicity, is a condition in which there is too much resting muscle tone. This will mean that muscles can have reduced mobility and range of movement. This is a very common issue with overcompensation in animals, for instance, if there is an injury in the left hind limb you are likely to see overcompensation issues in the right forelimb, causing hypertonicity. This hardening of the muscle will detract from its ability to lengthen or contract so this would reduce the normal movement of the dog.

Muscles that are affected are also more prone to strain or tear as they are in a constant state of contraction. As the muscle has more muscle tone than it should have it can also develop trigger points more easily, which could then lead to other trigger points developing around the body and also lead to referred pain. Another problem with hypertonicity is that it can often make an existing orthopaedic condition, such as hip dysplasia or arthritis, or a soft tissue injury feel worse as the pain, especially if around the area of the injury or condition, may also contribute to an already painful condition. The pain may also further the reduction in mobility in effect areas

what causes hypertonicity?

  • Overcompensation caused by an existing injury or condition

  • Myofascial pain throughout the body

  • Trigger points (similar to knots in humans)

  • Crates that are too small

  • Oval plastic dog beds

  • The general bullding up of stress on the muscles of the dogs body from their daily life

  • Lack of recovery periods between training/competition for agility etc. and also with working dogs

  • Activities of daily living i.e. jumping on/off of furniture, ball chasing

  • Trauma to the head or spine - this causes an interruption in the signals from the muscles. This means that the brain does not know the state of the muscle and therefor cannot make alterations to the tone of the muscle, leading to hypertonia

what are the symptoms?

  • An altered gait when walking and running

  • The dog may stand in an unnatural position, holding its tail underneath its back end, dropping its pelvis or dropping its neck

  • Muscle may feel hard to the touch and become inflexible

  • Reduced range of movement due to a reduction in the ability of the muscle to contract and lengthen

  • Dull or nagging pain in the area affected

  • Increased pain and negative symtpoms of existing injuries or orthopaedic conditions

how can massage help?

There are many ways that massage therapy can help with this condition…

  • To aid the muscle return to its normal working order

  • A reduction in the pain felt at the site of the hypertonicity

  • A reduction in the pain associated with an existing injury or orthopaedic condition

  • Sensory neurons can begin to feedback information correctly

  • Return to a brighter mood as pain is reduced

  • An increase in the dogs ability to carry out its normal daily life

Hypertonicity can only be fully resolved once the original issue has also been resolved. If hypertonicity is caused by long term or chronic issues, such as osteoarthritis, it may be necessary for the dog to have maintenance treatments when the symptoms return or begin to flare up again.

Contraindications (reasons to not massage or to alter the massage) to be aware of - if your dog is showing any signs of the following then please let me know and then we can discuss a treatment schedule to work around or outside of the particular issue.

General contraindications:

  • Open wounds

  • High blood pressure

  • Diabetes

  • Cardio-vascular conditions

  • Broken bones

  • Bruises

  • Pregnancy

  • Epilepsy

  • The severity of the condition

  • The level of inflammation in the area(heat therapy should be avoided if inflammation present)

  • Skin irritations such as eczema