Tui Na and Massage
Maddox, the greyhound, receiving massage therapy from our Veterinary Nurse Supervisor Ashley.
The Healing Power of Tui Na and Animal Massage
More and more Chicago-area pet parents are turning to integrative therapies like massage to keep their fur babies happy and healthy. Let’s look at two types we use at our integrative Clinic.
Tui Na
Tuina is one of the four core components in Chinese Medicine. It is meant to regulate Qi (vital energy) flowing through the body. Although it has been compared to Shiatsu, Taina goes beyond and works in balance with other Chinese medicine modalities for an optimal result in the pet’s wellbeing. Used for over 2000 years in China, Tuina is used with acupressure and stretching imbalanced and blocked parts of the body.
Tui Na utilizes precise manual manipulations and body movements to regulate the flow of vital energy throughout an animal's body. It combines aspects of acupressure, massage, and chiropractic care to treat musculoskeletal issues, promote healing, and restore overall balance and well-being.
Dr. Priya Bhatt is an expert in administering customized Tui Na sessions tailored to each pet's specific needs. She employs specialized techniques like kneading, pressing, rolling, and stretching to alleviate conditions such as arthritis, muscle tension, joint pain, limited mobility, and post-operative discomfort. Tui Na not only provides pain relief but can reduce stress, enhance circulation, and even aid in injury prevention when used as a complementary therapy alongside acupuncture, herbal remedies, and other rehabilitation approaches. With its harmonizing effects on the body's energy pathways, Tui Na is a gentle yet powerful way to naturally support a dog or cat's healing and quality of life.
Animal Massage
Animal massage has a lot of proven benefits — from helping with age issues like back problems to dealing with injury recovery and pet athlete rehabilitation. Massage is a supportive therapy in integrative veterinary care with major benefits for dogs, cats, and other pets.
Whether your pet is recovering from surgery, dealing with arthritis, or simply getting up there in years, our certified pet massage therapists personalize every session to target problem areas while avoiding discomfort. For some animals, massage eases symptoms better than medications or supplements which can cause side effects. It brings the body into balance without drugs.
Just like people, when a dog or cat gets a soothing massage it boosts blood circulation. The stimulation brings oxygen to muscles and joints and helps soothe aches and pains. Massage boosts metabolism and lymphatic drainage too. This supports the immune system to ward off illness. For arthritic pets who are less active, massage prevents muscle atrophy and strengthens weak areas. An animal massage therapist will use kneading, compression and range of motion techniques tailored to your pet's needs. This can restore mobility in stiff, sore joints to help your pet move with ease again.
Massage helps with mental and emotional health too. Gentle human touch releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin and endorphins. This elevates your pet's mood to melt away anxiety or depression. The bonding experience strengthens the human-animal connection. When you schedule regular massage sessions, you show your pet how much you care. This touch therapy is the ultimate pampering treat for a beloved companion.
Proven to Ease Aches and Pains
Chronic or acute muscular tightness and joint pain plague many aging or injured pets. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of massage therapy delivers natural pain relief by:
Releasing built-up lactic acid
Increasing circulation to nourish tissues and joints
Reducing muscle spasms and tension
Calming overactive trigger points
With regular treatments, your pet will gain lasting relief from nagging aches and pains. We've seen tremendous results in improving mobility and vitality in geriatric patients, sports athletes, and more.
Speeds Post-Op Recovery
Surgeries like ACL repairs and hip replacements require extensive rehabilitation to rebuild strength. Integrative massage stimulates healing by:
Breaking down internal scar tissue
Draining away post-surgical swelling
Restoring proper alignment of bones and joints
Relaxing tightened muscles around surgical sites
Gentle massage in the days and weeks after surgery gets your pet back on their feet faster by complementing physical therapy and medication protocols.
Just Good For Overall Well-Being
Integrative animal massage also:
Boosts immunity by increasing blood flow
Aids digestion by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system
Reduces heart rate and blood pressure
Releases feel-good endorphins that uplift mood
Establishes a relaxing bond between you and your pet
Regular massage strengthens your pet's whole body inside and out for improved energy and quality of life.
Our Certified Veterinary Massage Team
As an integrative veterinary clinic, we recommend massage before and after acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy or surgery. Massage preps the muscles and stimulates healing. Post-treatment it enhances recovery by flushing out metabolic waste and reducing inflammation. Consistent massage relieves chronic pain from arthritis, injuries or illness. When included in your pet's wellness plan, massage enhances overall health, vitality and quality of life. At Arya Animal Acupuncture we offer professional animal massage as part of our integrative approach to veterinary medicine. A trained veterinary massage therapist can help relieve your pet’s pain, improve joint mobility, aid recovery from injuries, boost circulation, and more.
Our team of certified animal massage therapists and Dr. Bhatt can create a tailored wellness plan to keep your dog or cat happy and mobile.
“Believe it or not, massage therapy is an aerobic activity similar to walking, running, or other exercise. It boosts metabolism, promotes lactic acid release, and promotes healthy blood flow and nutrients to muscles throughout the body. This is especially important for arthritic dogs and cats that have likely become more sedentary or have stopped using specific muscle groups altogether.
These qualities of massage keep muscles healthy and reduce atrophy (or wasting) while facilitating healthy use of the body. These actions together can also help to alleviate compensatory changes in an animal’s gait, helping to maintain healthy muscle and joint function for as long as possible. Massage is an excellent therapy to utilize before and after the gentle practice of range of motion and stretching, and is a great tool for identifying and releasing muscle tension.
Massage therapy also promotes lymphatic circulation, a system in the body that does not circulate without movement since it does not have a pump, like blood has the heart. This circulation promotes and improves an animal’s immune system and function. A large part of the arthritic pet category includes senior animals, and boosting immune function is essential for senior and compromised animals.
Chronic physical pain, usually categorized as lasting longer than three to six months, can also have extremely detrimental effects on mental health. For people, chronic pain is often associated with anxiety and depression. We can see these natural but unwanted changes among arthritic pets as well, as movement and comfort are often paramount for the happiness and quality of life of dogs and cats.
Massage therapy is an excellent modality when approaching anxiety or depression in animals. Touch, particularly touch with intention, increases connection, promotes healthy bonding, and releases feel good hormones like oxytocin (a hormone released during childbirth and breastfeeding, to show its incredible impact).”