Reiki tradicional Japonés

VETERINARY ASSISTANT SPECIALIZED IN EQUINE REHABILITATION

There are different types of massages depending on the therapies we aim to address.

PERCUSSION MASSAGE + NATURAL CLAY THERAPY

Percussion or vibration massage involves a combination of stimulating and relaxing movements applied to the muscles. These movements consist of precise, rhythmic, and energetic tapping with a specific intensity and frequency.
The rhythmic and energetic tapping stimulates both muscular and fascial tissues, reaching the deepest fibers. This technique combines stimulating and relaxing motions. Through repetitive, consistent, and rapid small taps along the muscles, this therapy aims to produce a neuromuscular response to reduce pain, increasing range of motion, and enhancing blood flow.

This therapy consists of 15-minute sessions, including massage and percussion for each muscle group. To avoid damaging the muscles, sessions must not exceed 15 minutes.
A rest period of 4 to 6 hours should be maintained between sessions targeting the same muscle chain.
Percussion or vibration massage is intended to:
- Improve muscular blood circulation
- Increase blood and lymphatic flow
- Aid in the recovery and regeneration of muscle tissues after intense exertion
- Reduce pain
- Help alleviate muscle spasms

NATURAL CLAY THERAPY

Clay is recommended during the earliest phase of the process, meaning the initial stage after an injury.
It helps recover all kinds of injuries involving inflammation and swelling.
Its effects help reduce inflammation and mild fever caused by pain while soothing tissue irritation.
Clay reduces swelling, promotes the absorption of hematomas, and aids in tissue cleansing.
It supports wound healing and minor injuries.
It relieves pain and provides remineralization.
Each type of clay color offers different healing minerals.

SPORTS MASSAGE

Sports massage is a physiotherapy technique designed for any animal or human athlete, carried out collaboratively between the therapist and the veterinarian.
Its goal is to enhance athletic performance, take care of the horse, and maintain the health of its complex structures, including muscles, tendons, bones, and fascia, which comprise the horse's intricate system.
A horse is like a finely tuned machine that must be well-conditioned and cared for to prevent injuries.
Preventing these injuries before they occur is crucial, as a high-performance athlete's injury can take months to heal, and the body doesn't always regain its original functionality.
There are typically three types of sports massages:

Pre-competition or Warm-up massage

As the name suggests, this is a stimulating massage performed before a competition. Its purpose is to help the equine athlete prepare for the sporting event.
This type of massage increases body temperature, releases adhesions, enhances tissue elasticity, and improves muscle activation.
It is ideal for delaying fatigue, improving the horse's performance, and preventing injuries.
This type of massage involves movements, friction, and manipulations applied to the horse's muscles and joints, focusing on the areas of the body that will be the most engaged in the upcoming activity.
In the case of a race, the pre-competition massage would target the muscles that activate the legs.
If the horse were competing in a classical dressage event, the massage would focus on the neck, back, and lumbar areas to warm up the muscle chains. This would be complemented by the rider warming up the horse in the arena and performing the necessary stretches

The pre-competition massage is performed before exercise or training and is part of the warm-up session. It is a short and quick massage of medium intensity, typically lasting 5 to 10 minutes.

Benefits

- Increases body temperature
- Enhances muscle activation
- Improves athletic performance
- Boosts tissue elasticity
- Relaxes the muscles
- Optimizes strength
- Improves endurance
- Increases contraction capacity
- Prevents overload-induced contractures
- Delays the onset of fatigue
- Improves joint mobility
- Accelerates the body's metabolic processes
- Pre-competition massage offers significant benefits

There are different recommended techniques for these massages, typically including friction, kneading, compressions, percussion, gentle stretching, and vibrations.
The goal is to prevent injuries, prepare the muscles for physical activity, and identify possible adhesions.

RECOVERY OR POST-COMPETITION MASSAGE

This massage focuses on relaxing the muscles from all the tension accumulated during exercise and ensuring proper muscle cooling. This helps prevent small contractures from forming and promotes good blood flow in the muscles.
After a competition or intense exercise from the horse, the goal is to achieve a quick recovery of muscle tone and cool down the most overworked areas.
In this case, the massages are usually more vigorous to stimulate blood circulation, which aids in better muscle recovery.
The effect of a post-competition massage is analgesic. It helps eliminate waste products generated during exertion, reduces fatigue, decreases hypertonia, prevents potential contractures, and increases muscle blood supply.
The massage should be short, intense, slow, and deep, lasting approximately 15 to 20 minutes, while considering the muscle fibers' sensitivity after strenuous effort.

Benefits

- Muscle relaxation
- Facilitates the removal of waste products
- Targets hypertonic and fatigued muscles
- Stimulates blood circulation, promoting muscle oxygenation
- Reduces muscle pain caused by tension
- Eliminates muscle spasms
- Stretches muscles and fibers
- Prevents injuries

All manual rehabilitation therapies will always be carried out following a veterinary diagnosis and in collaboration with your veterinarian. These rehabilitation therapies are ineffective without proper veterinary monitoring and diagnostic tests to guide the horse's recovery plan. It is crucial for owners to understand this!! Rehabilitation is a team effort involving vets, rehabilitation specialists, podiatrists, farriers, and other professionals in the field.