Acupressure Help for People & Dogs with Stiff Limbs
Ever awaken and realize you’re a bit stiff? You try to stretch your legs and they send you a pain message. Then you stretch your arms out and you feel as if rubber bands are holding you back. Dogs can feel the very same way.
As cave animals originally, dogs are programmed to stretch their legs before getting up after sleeping. When they’re young, they can easily bounce up and get going after stretching. If they’ve experienced an injury to a limb, it may not be particularly comfortable and they may not move so fast. Over-exercising can lead to tight and painful muscles and joints, too.
Like us, as dogs age their bodies succumb to arthritis and tendons becoming less supple. Ageing causes joints become crepitus and tendons and ligaments just don’t stretch the way they used to. There’s an acupressure point that can help both human and canine alike.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Gall Bladder 34 is considered the Master Point for tendons and ligaments. This means, by stimulating this point, you will bring more energy and nourishment to that point, which in turn will affect the flexibility of the tendons and ligaments. When tendons and ligaments are able to function more readily, muscles and joints can work comfortably. Take a look at the location on the chart below.
Case study by Amy Snow & Nancy Zidonis, Founders of Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute
