WHAT EXACTLY IS PAIN...
Pain can be felt when nociceptors (nerves which function to detect pain) that lie beneath the skin detects potentially damaging stimuli and is triggered by either an unpleasant thermal (e.g. burning sensation), mechanical or chemical irritation (e.g. a feeling from damaged tissue). 

Animals are then able to feel pain when the nociceptors send a signal to the brain. During this signal transmission two types of nerve fibres are involved:
- A-delta fibres: usually associated with acute pain (sharp pain) which
sends signals quickly. 
- C-fibres: usually associated with chronic pain (dull but persistent pain)
which sends signals slower. 

Once these signals are received by the brain, they get interpreted and
then the pain sensation occurs as a result. 


SYMPTOMS OF PAIN ARE SOMETIMES NOT THAT OBVIOUS... 
As many owners may have already experienced before, animals are able to hide/mask pain very well which can make diagnosing pain specifically challenging. The reason behind this is thought to be that wild animals attempt to hide their pain to prevent predators seeing them as an easy target. With this in mind, as humans we are able to go the doctors and tell them specifically where it hurts but animals unable to do that so it is down to vets and therapists to find areas of pain through observation, palpation (e.g. torn muscle) and range of motion (e.g. abnormal joint movement). As a result of hiding the pain, animals frequently have compensatory issues arise due to protecting/guarding an area and therapists can help prevent this.. 

Typically animals communicate their pain perception through behavioural and physiological changes with the severity of behavioural changes generally indicating the magnitude of the pain. For example, this could range from a tail swish all the way to biting. To much interest, a study by Margaret found that both vets and the general public agreed that small dogs are more sensitive to pain which is speculated to be because they feel pain in a slightly different way. 

Generic symptoms of pain: 
-Anxiety
-Changes in eye expression (e.g. whale eye)
-Restlessness
-Lameness
-Changes in appetite
-Changes in personality (e.g. biting over stable door)
-Reduced activity


A pain ethogram was developed for horses with musculoskeletal pain being
suspected if 8 or more of these behaviours were present. 



THE MAIN THING WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW...HOW CAN WE REDUCE PAIN?
A good place to start is to provide a suitable environment as this has shown to impact an animals pain tolerance. For example, surroundings being a comfortable temperature, adequate food/water and soft/comfortable bedding. 

Now this is where massage comes in. Massage is an invaluable tool therapists utilise to help relieve pain, with anatomical effects being reduced muscle stiffness and soreness, increased mobility and restores the health of fascia.  Physiologically it helps increase blood flow and lymphatic flow, decreases inflammation/pain/muscle fatigue. Finally, psychologically it helps to reduce cortisol (stress), improve mood and increase motivation.  

These benefits that massage can provide ultimately impact the quality of life of animals. Especially geriatric animals which tend to have more chronic pain as well as those who have gait issues, muscle weakness, posture changes, osteoarthritis, neurological implications, post-surgical trauma and overloaded muscles. 

A study by Riley in 2020 found that massage therapy is a valid treatment for musculoskeletal pain derived from muscular injuries, arthritis and other orthopaedic conditions. Practitioners found a marked reduction in pain indicators (gait, posture, activity, behaviour and performance) post massage in 95.5% of dogs. 


Massage directly targets pain by activating a nerve fibre known as a-beta which has the ability to influence pain perception as it can travel faster than any of the nerve fibres previously mentioned (a-delta & c-fibres). This prevents the harmful pain signal from reaching the brain by acting as a gate/block which then means the feeling of pain becomes reduced. This indicates that massage provides immediate pain relief after just 30 minutes of massage but it has also shown to have lasting effects. Despite there being no research regarding this in animals, human studies found that 53.1% of humans found the pain relief lasted for a few hours after massage whilst some people claimed it could be felt for more than 24 hours post massage.