Everyone experiences tight muscles throughout their lives. Tight muscles can occur for a few reasons. They can be temporary or chronic, either way, they can be frustrating and painful. They can limit your movement and interfere with your life in several ways.
Tension in your body (from over-exercise, poor posture, stress, injury, sleeping badly, dehydration etc) restricts blood flow to tissue, which then leads to oxygen deficiency, increased pain and endless cycle of dysfunction.
Chronic pain is any persistent pain lasting more than 12 weeks. Other health problems, such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite and mood changes often accompany chronic pain. This may limit a person’s movements, which reduce flexibility, strength and stamina. If left unmanaged, chronic pain cycle will continue and can lead to many severe psychological issues including anxiety and depression. Seeking for the right treatment can help restore balanced movement and function to your body, improve wellbeing, whilst increasing blood flow, reducing pain and stress.
If a muscle is “tight,” I should stretch it, right?
Stretching might be your first response to that sensation of tightness. It can help relieve those symptoms in the short term. But those symptoms can come back, no matter how much they stretched.
For other people (including those with hypermobility disorders), however, this probably won’t help much. That’s why is important to restore this balance by treating the underlying causes of pain, rather than simply masking pain symptoms.
Simple Ways to Easy Tight Muscles
Grab a tennis ball and add pressure to the “tight” area. Be sure to find the pressure that’s “just right” for you. Avoid pressure that makes you tense or hold your breath.
While holding that pressure, try moving the associated joints. Take slow, deep breaths to calm your nervous system.
Why it works: The pressure you provide to your “tight” spot is a new sensation for your nervous system. Essentially, that novel experience can “reset” your system’s alarm bells of discomfort and tightness.
Other things that might work: In some cases, stretches it might work. Also applying a heating pad or taking a warm bath and get moving!
Next time you feel aches and pains or feel stiff, address the issues early before this dysfunctional cycle sets in. Set your health goals with our team of allied health professionals at BodyEvolve. We work together to help you manage your pain, improve your overall function and wellbeing, rather than simply masking pain symptoms so you can get back on track.