The SENSE Method and
Rejuvenating Geriatric Dogs
 The handsome Australian Shepherd came panting into my office, his hind legs trailing behind him. Every few steps, his right hind leg would slip helplessly under his body, causing Rocky to trip. Undaunted, he would right himself and carry on, faithfully following his guardian, Bob.
Rocky is eleven years old and has had difficulties with his hind end for the past two years. Formerly a very athletic dog, Rocky's hind end had become weak and almost unusable. Rocky's veterinarian suspects a spinal problem but numerous tests have yielded nothing conclusive.
As a life-long animal lover, I have seen far too many animals whose quality of life was compromised by restricted or painful movement. So I endeavored to learn how I could help eliminate some of the causes of unsoundness. Although I studied many different modalities along the way, I found my greatest inspiration from the teachings of the late Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. Dr. Feldenkrais was a pioneer in the human potential movement, and he demonstrated time and again that people's limitations developed mostly from the disorganized and habitual way they used themselves. When people learned how to use themselves more efficiently, it freed them from even life-long aches and pains. It also improved their overall SENSE of well-being and ability to learn new skills.
Using my knowledge of animal movement and behavior as well as my skills as a Feldenkrais Method® practitioner, I developed the SENSE Method. SENSE Method is a gentle, yet powerful, approach to improving animals' physical functioning and well-being. The specific, non-habitual movements of SENSE Method can lessen musculoskeletal stress, resulting in freer, more athletic movement. If the movements are done in a way that shows the animal's nervous system that this new way of moving will result in freer, easier movement, then the animal will want to adopt it.
As the originator of the SENSE Method,, I do not focus on a specific diagnosis, but instead endeavor to teach an animal how to use all his body parts in a harmonious way. For example, I noted that Rocky's hind paws did not contact the ground evenly, compounding his balance problems. In addition, his fore legs and shoulders were straining under the effort of pulling himself along. If I could teach Rocky how to carry himself in a more balanced way, he would have an easier time getting around. And as he is a devoted and constant companion to Bob, an active and athletic man, this would greatly improve Rocky's quality of life.
SENSE Method practitioners support the animal through a range of gentle movements that are designed to reduce the animal's muscular effort, tension and anxiety. The cessation of effort engages the animal's sensory attention and can help create lasting improvements. In a desire to recreate these pleasurable movements, the animal's nervous system "writes them down" by the formation of new neural pathways. A new image of what is possible is thus formed in the brain. As a result, the animal begins to explore more comfortable and appropriate options of movement and behavior.
SENSE Method movements, designed to be both pleasurable and useful, are very different from touching or petting a dog to simply relax him. SENSE Method helps an animal in a functional way, such as improving a dog's ability to walk, run or jump. And SENSE Method sessions are never exactly the same, as they are individually tailored for each animal.
With Rocky lying comfortably on his side, I covered a three-foot-long foam roller (often sold as a "noodle" pool toy) with a plushy bath towel and placed it under Rocky's top front and hind legs. The roller provides support for the legs, and it also approximates the width of the legs when the dog is standing. This helps the animal's nervous system transfer the movements we do lying down into activities such as standing and walking. (For smaller dogs, I use a 1 ½ cardboard mailing tube).
As I gently rolled the roller, it had the effect of passively moving Rocky's top legs. My other hand touched specific places on Rocky's back, pelvis and ribcage, reminding him that if these parts moved, the movement of his legs would be easier and more comfortable.
With the roller still in place, I held a small, slim, hardcover book under one paw. To improve Rocky's awareness of his feet, I gently coaxed Rocky's toes to move one at a time. I did this by moving the book in different directions, putting slightly more pressure on each toe in turn. Once all his toes had "woken up", I placed the book flat against his paw. Whenever the foot feels a firm contact under it, the body's nervous system organizes itself for standing. I used the book under the paw as a tool to trick Rocky's nervous system into thinking about standing.
With Rocky's guardian, Bob, holding the book in place under a hind paw, I began to move Rocky's pelvis and legs slightly forward and back. My other hand touched Rocky's spine in specific ways, bringing awareness and new movement there. I was simulating the motions involved in walking while Rocky was comfortably lying on his side. Since Rocky had been uncomfortable standing, this was a way that I could maintain his comfort and calm while I helped him learn how to walk easier.
After working with Rocky on both sides, I asked him to stand up. I placed one hand on his back and the other on the underside of his chest. Supporting Rocky with my hands, I gently moved his weight forwards and back as well as side-to-side. Standing was now more comfortable, for Rocky's weight was balanced more evenly on his four paws, with all his toes in contact with the floor. His hind legs were under his body in a more balanced way to better support his weight.
As Bob encouraged Rocky to walk around the office, my hands gently guided the dog's movement. I moved my hands to various places on his body, reminding him that these places could participate in the motions involved in walking.
Whereas tight turns used to cause Rocky to fall, the dog was now able to maneuver around my office in a balanced way. And since his hind legs were now doing more of the work, Rocky no longer had to strain excessively with his front legs and shoulders. Smiling, Bob called it a "huge improvement." While Rocky may never regain the athletic ability he had in his younger days, the SENSE Method work enabled him to accompany Bob on pleasant hikes.
The black and tan dog walked with mincing steps into my office, her lower back rounded as if in pain. Princess, adopted as a puppy, looks like a cross between a Beagle and a German Shepherd. Janet told me how each morning for eleven years, she would awake to find Princess standing next to her bed, leash in mouth, begging for a walk.
But about a year ago, Princess started to tire on her walks, and they would return home early. Eventually, Princess stopped asking to go for walks, and even looked away if Janet suggested one. Now, Princess only went outside to relieve herself or to lie in the sun.
Janet mentioned that Princess' back had begun to get a rounded appearance a few years ago. Since it was a gradual change and Princess didn't appear to be in any pain at that time, Janet wrote it off as a harmless aspect of aging. I theorized that it was probably sometime before that that Princess had begun to lose some freedom of movement, and the rounding of the back was a consequence of that loss.
Princess' veterinarian diagnosed a spinal problem and prescribed a strong anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving medication. Janet disliked giving her dog such a strong pharmaceutical, but decided to try it to see if it would significantly improve Princess' quality of life. While Princess walked a little easier when on the medicine, her lack of energy and unwillingness to go on walks remained.
Janet asked Princess to lie down on the comfortable mat in the center of my office. With my fingertips, I began to softly lift the muscles along her spine. My movements were very slow and light. As I lifted each small area of muscle, Princess' breathing began to slow and I could feel her relaxing under my hands. Since the breath is a good indicator of pain or anxiety, I am always careful to note any changes in the animal's breathing. Princess' slower, more relaxed breathing was a good sign. I wanted to help Princess learn how to walk easier. And since learning cannot occur in a state of anxiety, it was important for me to keep Princess feeling safe.
In addition to helping her release tense muscles, the gentle lifting was also enhancing Princess' awareness of her entire spine. Very often when we have pain, we tighten the muscles around the painful area to minimize movement and reduce discomfort. These parts then begin to be lost from our awareness. This leads to fragmentation of movement, with some body parts working harder than the "tuned out" parts. The hard-working parts may then sustain an overuse injury. It's also very tiring to move in a fragmented way. The way Princess currently walked was that her legs did all the work and her back hardly moved at all. Consequently, Princess' steps were small and mincing. My intent was to teach Princess to use her body efficiently, distributing movement more evenly throughout her body. Restoring Princess' ability to both straighten and round her back at will would be a good place to start.
With Princess still lying on her side, I touched her sternum, the bone that runs down the center of the chest. Gently coaxing the sternum in the direction of the pelvis assists the rounding of the lower back. Since Princess could round her lower back easily, I supported this pattern, with my hands exaggerating the movement for her. Since this was a familiar and comfortable movement, she did not resist.
While keeping her lower back rounded had become a habit for Princess, it took considerable muscular work for her to maintain it. Not only was it an energy drain, but maintaining any position indefinitely usually causes soreness. When my hands began to support this posture for her, it allowed her own muscles to relax. Princess breathed an audible sigh of relief.
I gently moved her ribcage in the direction of her pelvis, also to assist with rounding the spine. I gradually included her head too, bringing it ever so slightly downward. Again, Princess did not resist these movements, since they were in line with her habit.
I then brought her pelvis and hind legs a little further underneath her body as I slightly exaggerated the rounding of the spine. I was helping Princess relate the movement of her hind legs with the movement of her back. She could begin to feel that it was easy and pain-free to bring her hind legs forward when her back moved.
Gradually, I let go of the rounding of the back and I noticed that her habitual posture had changed. Princess' back was now straighter. How did this happen?
Supporting the Pattern is an important SENSE Method concept. It allows the animal to feel safe, since no one is attempting to contradict what she feels comfortable doing. The animal develops trust in the practitioner and can relax. Also, the muscular effort involved in holding this rounded posture gets a much needed break. Since I was doing the work for Princess, her brain got a message to let the habitually contracted muscles relax. So she was not so rounded anymore!
There are further benefits to Supporting the Pattern. When you exaggerate a movement pattern, the animal gains an awareness of the habitual, but unconscious, pattern. Once you have awareness, the nervous system can reorganize to improve upon this action pattern. It may decide that the pattern no longer fits its current state. But it needs the awareness of it first.
Another important benefit is that when we exaggerate the rounding of the back and then it returns to its usual posture, the nervous system gets to experience the act of straightening the back without force or pain. To understand this concept, sit somewhat slouched, then round your back even more. Now straighten your back a little bit to return to your former "somewhat slouched" state. Do you feel how this return movement is the beginning of straightening your back? This is a way to safely induce Princess to straighten her back on her own. The introduction of new movement patterns must be done with great care for the animal's comfort. This is a clever and gentle way to do it. By keeping the movements pleasurable, Princess' nervous system will be more likely to recreate them on her own.
Since doing the movements in different positions helps the nervous system remember them, I worked with Princess' sternum and ribs to support her pattern while standing. Princess was walking with her back noticeably straighter and taking longer steps when she left my office. By using her body in this more effective way, Princess would be capable of greater stamina.
Janet called me the next day to happily report that Princess woke her up the next morning, leash in mouth! Janet was thrilled to be able to take Princess on a walk. Princess and I worked together a few more times to support her progress. In these sessions, Princess graduated to being able to extend her spine while her hind legs moved back, a motion that is important in walking. I also taught Janet some basic SENSE Method movements to help keep her beloved companion feeling rejuvenated.
Return to List of Articles
|
