Graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Copenhagen and holds a PhD in Anatomy and Physiology. She is an Associate Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Science. In 2007, she completed her education in Veterinary Chiropractic, and since then, her research has focused on biomechanics and functional anatomy, with a particular emphasis on fasciae, including their functionality and integrity. She has lectured at numerous conferences, courses, and workshops, and has published scientific papers and written books on this topic. She was certified by the IVCA in 2007 and by the IVAS in 2017. She has also taken courses in normalization techniques for animals, utilizing manual indirect and osteopathic-based methods. In addition to her university role, she runs a small practice where she treats the locomotor systems of dogs, cats, and horses using manual therapies such as chiropractic, indirect normalization techniques, myofascial line treatments, regional myofascial release, as well as laser and acupuncture therapies, all based on a full-body approach.
Vibeke Sødring Elbrønd
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
VETERINARY ASPECTS OF THE LUMBAR MYOFASCIA IN THE DOG AND HORSE
Elbrønd, V.S.
Section for Parasitology and Pathobiology, Dept. of Vet. and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen
Although the lumbar regions of dogs and horses differ significantly, they share at least one common condition: lumbar stiffness and pain. Many animals with back problems remain undiagnosed and are simply described as “suffering from idiopathic lumbar stiffness and pain.” In humans, low back pain is a globally recognized diagnosis, which in most cases has been linked to fascial dysfunction and/or pathology in the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF). Understanding the fascia system as a living, universal 3D structure and an active player is essential for recognizing its impact on biomechanics, pain perception, organ function, and more. In veterinary medicine, specific knowledge about fascia and myofascia is crucial both for understanding normal body movements and physiology and for applying relevant and effective treatment and rehabilitation when dysfunction is present.
The fundamental roles of the dog as a predator and the horse as a prey animal shape their biomechanics and locomotion. Fascia plays a key role in supporting these species-specific features. Anatomical differences are evident not only at the macroscopic level but also microscopically, where significant variations in the myofascial structures support the dog’s flexibility and high maneuverability, particularly in the lumbar, sacral, suboccipital regions, and through the tail, which contributes to balance. In contrast, the horse, as a prey animal, exhibits less flexibility but greater endurance and stability.
Kinetic interactions, such as the Myofascial Kinetic Lines—long chains of functionally interconnected and collaborative myofascial structures—highlight similarities but also differences between the two species. In dogs, these lines include additional stabilizing branches in the thoracolumbar region. The concept of myofascial expansions and the 3D understanding of the system enhances our ability to analyze posture, movement, and compensatory patterns, allowing for a more targeted approach to identifying primary causes of dysfunction. It also deepens our understanding of the cooperative relationships between structures involved in movement and stability.
In the lumbar region, specific force-distributing systems similar to the Human Lateral Raphe and involving several TLF layers, are also present in animals, though they exhibit species-specific variations.
CANINE MYOFASCIAL KINETIC LINES: ANATOMY, TEST AND TREATMENT
Elbrønd, V.S.
Section for Parasitology and Pathobiology, Dept. of Vet. and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen
Eleven Canine Myofascial kinetic lines (MFKL) have been dissected, described and published. The lines outbalance each other in a full-body 3-D tensegrity model, which influences the posture in standing and in motion in balanced and imbalanced conditions. The lines are an essential tool for understanding and evaluating normal body locomotion and function, compensatory mechanisms and pathological conditions. They can be tested and evaluated and treated locally and/or universally in their full length.
Overview of the lines:
There are three Superficial and three Deep Lines. The Superficial lines are: The Superficial Dorsal (SDL), the Superficial Ventral (SVL) and the Superficial Lateral Line (SLL). These lines span from “toe to head” and are involved the spinal movements, respectively extension, flexion and lateral flexion. A hindlimb flexion sling related to the SDL is additionally identified in the dog. The profound lines are: The Deep Dorsal, the Deep Ventral (DVL) and the Deep Lateral lines. They progress in the deep myofascial layers and the DVL also in the visceral fascia. The three deep lines extend into the dorsal, ventral and lateral part of the tail.
Two helical lines, the Functional and the Spiral line, serve the rotation of the spine due to respectively two and three crossings of the midline. Branches, for lumbar stabilization, are also identified in the Functional line as the ipsilateral branch and in the Spiral line as the ipsilateral dorsal branch.
Four Front Limb Lines are closely related in their motion with the Pro- and Retraction lines having the center of motion in the top part of the Scapula. The Ad- and Abduction Lines include the proximal part of the front limbs.
The lines can be tested and evaluated functionally and with specific swing tests and treatment of the lines can be performed locally as well as universally.
The anatomy and function of the lines will be presented briefly and tests and treatment options of several of the lines will be exercised in the workshop.