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, they also get stiff limbs.
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. But 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.
And like us, as dogs age, their bodies succumb to arthritis and tendons becoming less supple. Aging 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 stiff limbs 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:
Acupressure For Stiff Limbs
GB 34 is a healing point for both people and animals. Stimulate it daily for a few months to counteract stiffness. It works! Rub, tab or press it for two minutes twice daily for best results.
Learn how to use acupressure to treat a variety of conditions in Amy and Nancy’s other articles here on Animal Wellness Guide, in their hands-on and online courses, and in their books on canine, feline and equine acupressure:
Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis