Muscle splinting/guarding

What is muscle splinting/guarding?

Protective splinting (muscle guarding) is the name given to the muscular disorder whereby the muscles surrounding a muscular injury, trigger points or an injured joint in the body, tighten and shorten to protect the affected area. This prolonged tensing of the muscle, or muscles, in an area can lead to further pain, and then, in some cases, further damage to occur in the area too.

At the same time this guarding and tightening of the muscles is happening, the surrounding fascia (read more on fascia here) begins to thicken and prevent the muscle fibres from functioning normally and this creates trigger points, which further exacerbates the symtoms and pain felt.

This is one of the most common chronic muscular disorders and can significantly increase the pain felt by your dog. It can lead to a reduction in the somatosensory activity too by reducing the sensory input of your muscles.

how does it progress and how can we help?

 There is a pain cycle that is evident when this protective splinting occurs, showing the pattern of damage that will occur. Here is a simple diagram of the pain cycle.

The Pain Cycle

During this pain cycle the soft tissue and joints can be damaged, causing this muscular disorder in many ways:

  • Over loading of the muscle

  • Trauma; physical or emotional

  • Muscular Injury eg: the Strain or tear to a muscle

  • Overcompensating for primary areas of orthopaedic concern

  • Activities of daily living

  • Home living environment eg: up and down stairs all the time

  • Sport eg: Agility, Working Trials, Flybally, Obedience

Massage therapy will aid the dog by relieving these soft tissue dysfunctions and the protective splinting that has occured, returning mobility to the area and helping to exit the pain cycle. This then creates a relief cycle to aid the return of normal function to the area. You can see this new cycle in this diagram.

The Relief Cycle

Massage is a highly effective therapy that can directly address these areas of tension by releasing restrictive fascia, resolving trigger points, helping to return the muscles to normal function and ultimately reducing pain.