Physio Ron Mills has an immense reputation for assisting in the big race preparation of literally hundred of Category One (and Derby) winners (plus a few gambles beside).

His massage techniques are based on a fundamental understanding of what goes wrong, why it goes wrong, and how to fix it.

This particular article might be 19 year old, but the fundamentals of greyhound physiology have not changed in the interim.

 

The Mystery of Under Performance of the

Racing Greyhound – by Ron Mills

Ron Mills

If your greyhound has an accident or illness, a loss of performance is easily explained. But when there is no apparent cause for the decline, it is not as easily explained.

  • Why has he lost his trapping ability?
  • Why has he lost his early pace?
  • Why is he moving off at the bends?
  • Why is he not staying on so well?

All questions you might have asked yourself at some time.

Nothing happens without a reason and the cause of the problem is as important as the problem itself.

Each problem has a reason as precise as one caused by an accident.

Unexplained problems outnumber the accidents by a wide margin, and it is usually the failure to recognise that the muscular system can be the entire cause of the problem, which results in inadequate treatment.

While much is done for the orthopaedic type of injury, very little of meaningful nature has been done in the field of preventing or correcting strain type injuries.

It is usually assumed that muscles will eventually take care of themselves.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Until it is realised that muscular system is a predominant cause of motion problems, many problems remain a mystery shat shouldn’t be mysterious at all.

 

The Reasons

A racing greyhound should have complete freedom of movement when he runs.

If for any reason there are restrictions in this movement, there will be problems.

The main reason for this restricted movement is the muscle tightening which develops from the strains and exertions resulting from greyhound racing.

Muscular problems are common to all racing greyhounds as greyhound racing produces a situation unique to all sports, the amount of strain and exertion required to achieve maximum performance.

Maximum effort is bodily abuse.

 

The Causes

The physiological response of muscle to trauma (over-use, over-stretch, over-load, impact etc.) is tightening. Tightening is followed by the development of a spasm at the spot where the trauma occurred.

Tight muscles are shortened muscles.

The fibres are held in contraction and the muscle is unable to release completely, thus reducing movement and flexibility.

Muscle tightening transmits from one muscle group to another.

The body functions as a unit, and the safety of one part depends upon the efficiency of its neighbouring parts.

A tight muscle that cannot accommodate the movement required of it will pull or even tear.

 

The Therapy

The most negative approach of all is rest.

Rest is essential for a limited period of time following an actual injury, but after that it becomes counter-productive by allowing the spasm to achieve permanent status.

What we have is a bit of knotted tissue (the spasm) restricting motion and causing pain.

When restored to its normal function the pain ceases and the problem disappears.

Accurate therapy is locating the exact area that is in spasm. The key to success is accuracy. If you can’t find the spot you can’t do the job!

You will know when you locate the right spot. It will hurt.

When you apply pressure to normal tissue it gives under you hand and there is no pain.

A spasm is rigid and normal pressure becomes painful.

When you have softened and relieved the spasm and restored free motion you have removed the cause of the problem.

Understanding that there will always be muscle problems around vigorous activity is common sense.

 

Sports Massage and the Racing Greyhound

The overall aim of treatment is for maximum performance

The benefits are:

Safety in racing

Longer racing life

 

Scar Issue

When tissue damage occurs, some bleeding will take place and will develop into scar tissue, which is an essential part of the initial healing process.

When too much bleeding occurs it can lead to excessive amounts of scar tissue forming.

Chronic inflammation causes more scar tissue to form as the condition persists.

Scar tissue hardens over time and can eventually, in extreme cases, calcify and become as hard as bone.

Sports massage techniques in the post-acute or chronic stage will help prevent excessive scar tissue forming.

 

Adhesions and fibrous tissue

Adhesions and fibrous tissue created by scar tissue cause problems in tissue function.

Over time, an area of muscle fibres can mat together into a hard lump or knot, restricting circulation and preventing the natural healing process to take place.

Adhesions can also form between a ligament and tendon or a muscle and bone.

This can lead to restriction in movement and function.

Sports massage techniques can break down the adhesions by literally tearing the adhesive bonds apart.

 

Symptomatic Joint Pain

It is the muscles that make a joint move, and many apparent joint problems are due to muscle dysfunction or imbalance in these muscles.

They can cause the joint to function incorrectly and pain may be experienced there and not in the muscles.

The muscular component of a joint condition can be assessed through active and passive movements.

If the muscle is tight, weak or otherwise damaged, the joint pain is more likely to develop gradually as it is passively stretched towards the end of its free range.

If it is isometrically contracted in this position, the paint will usually increase.

 

Chronic Joint Pain

With conditions that have developed over a long period of time, the problem is rarely isolated to just one structure.

A small area of damage that restricts joint function will often lead to associated tissues becoming over-used as they try to make up for the deficiency.

Eventually many small areas of scar tissue and fibrous adhesions may develop around the joint structures, causing general pain and dysfunction.

The joint must be palpated thoroughly to find and treat all the tissues contributing to the problem.

It should be moved into different positions so that the therapist can gain access to as many tissues and surfaces as possible.

 

Over-use injuries

The most common of injuries is the over-use injury. It develops over a period of time and the handler may not be aware of it until it reaches a critical point.

As the therapist palpates the muscles these problem areas become apparent as they remain hard and tense compared to the surrounding tissues.

 

Flexibility

Greyhounds require good flexibility.

Stretching exercises should be performed, not only to promote mobility but also to release excessive tension.

Massage techniques can stretch specific areas of tissue, irrespective of range of movement and can be applied directly to break down scar tissue and adhesions.

 

Warm-up

This is the area within greyhound racing which is almost totally ignored and which can be an important factor in the prevention of injury.

If cold and tight muscles are suddenly expected to accelerate into maximum effort, they will be vulnerable to damage.

 

Warm-down

A proper warm-down is also important, as it helps the recovery process to begin properly following racing.