A Systematic Review of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine in Sport and Companion Animals: Soft Tissue Mobilization.
Authors: Bergh Anna, Asplund Kjell, Lund Iréne, Boström Anna, Hyytiäinen Heli
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
Soft tissue mobilization techniques including massage and stretching are widespread in equine, canine, and feline practice, yet their clinical efficacy remains poorly documented in the scientific literature. Researchers conducted a systematic review across three major databases, ultimately identifying only 11 studies of sufficient relevance from 1189 publications screened, which itself highlights the scarcity of rigorous evidence in this field. The methodological quality of included studies was generally poor, with eight classified as high-risk bias and only three at moderate risk; among the latter, two documented measurable physiological responses such as decreased heart rate following massage treatment. Substantial variation in reported outcomes across studies prevented drawing definitive conclusions about the clinical effectiveness of these interventions in cats, dogs, and horses. For equine professionals integrating soft tissue mobilization into their practice, this review underscores the need for robust clinical trials and suggests that whilst these techniques show some promise physiologically, claiming broad therapeutic benefits currently lacks sufficient scientific support—a gap the profession should aim to fill through higher-quality research.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Massage and stretching are commonly used for sport and companion animals, but robust clinical evidence supporting their efficacy remains lacking
- •Practitioners should be cautious about claiming specific therapeutic benefits until higher-quality research is available
- •More rigorously designed studies with standardized protocols and outcome measures are needed to evaluate these soft tissue mobilization techniques
Key Findings
- •Of 1,189 unique publications screened, only 11 met inclusion criteria for systematic review, indicating limited high-quality evidence
- •Eight of eleven included studies had high risk of bias and three had moderate risk of bias
- •Two studies showed decreased heart rate after massage, but considerable heterogeneity existed in reported treatment effects across studies
- •Current scientific evidence is insufficient to establish clinical efficacy and effectiveness of massage and stretching in cats, dogs, and horses