4 reasons your muscles might be tight & what to do about it
Do you have that one muscle, that no matter what you do, always feels tight?
While stretching, massaging, & rolling “tight” muscles may give you temporary relief, it’s not often a permanent solution.
Here are 4 potential causes why your muscles might feel tight, & what you can do to do about it.
1️⃣You continuously stretch what you feel is a tight muscle & it doesn’t get better. Oftentimes many end up stretching a muscle that may already be stretched or lengthened to its limit. Stretching may provide temporary relief but it’s not a long-term solution. If you keep stretching but it’s not improving try not stretching for a week & see if it helps.
2️⃣ Lack of movement variability. Our body is meant to move & doesn’t like being in one position for too long. Staying in the same position for prolonged periods can contribute to a feeling of muscle tightness. Your muscles will respond to the movement of your joints. If a muscle feels tight, try moving the joints it’s connected to.
3️⃣Having beliefs that a tight muscle will lead to injury. Oftentimes when we feel a muscle is tight, we think something may be seriously wrong & that if we don’t do something about it we will get injured. If you feel something is going on get it checked out.
If we hold on to the belief that there is something wrong this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy as we may end up creating more whole-body tension limiting our ability to move. If we worry the brain will worry. This tells your brain we need protection from movement which is the opposite of what you want
. There’s a poor correlation between perceived tightness & injury. As long as you have pain-free range of motion to move don’t worry too much about the tightness.
4️⃣Stress can cause a sympathetic response in the body or what is known as a fight or flight response. This is protect mode. This response can cause our muscles to tighten as a protective mechanism. If we don’t adapt to the increased stress we. Breathing, walking, or some form of mindfulness training should help in these situations. Sometimes you just need to give your tight muscle a deep breath.
If none of these provide you with the relief you’re looking for, schedule a discovery call with us, & we can see how we can help you work through your discomfort.
Call us at: 614-964-2341
Email at: info@visitohiochiro.com
Email at: info@visitohiochiro.com
