Why do muscles get stiff and painful?

Muscle fibers are designed to tense and relax and go through a natural tense/relax cycle as you use your body.   A muscle under sustained tension without a corresponding relaxation phase becomes stiff and eventually spams causing pain.

There are three reasons why muscles don’t relax:

  • Overuse is for example when you injury yourself in the gym.
  • Disuse is when your muscles tense when you are at your desk due to the body’s natural response to the demands and pressure you are under.  Muscles are designed to be used which means if you sit still for long periods the muscular tension doesn’t dissipate.
  • Misuse for the majority of people this is due to poor habits when walking, standing and sitting.  Sedentary lifestyles means the muscles of the legs are often held in contracted positions for long periods of time and which can lead to stiffness.  Sitting at computers for long hours keeps the neck and back in fixed positions causing the same muscles to contract which can lead to muscle tension and in some people muscle pain.

What can I do to prevention muscular stiffness and pain?

  • Stretching Often – Stretching is, of course, a valuable way to relieve muscle stiffness.
  • Exercise – Exercise in general is extremely good for releasing muscular stiffness, improving your mood and creating good health.
  • Yoga -You can also consider yoga, which is a form of both exercise and stretching, and may have a positive effect on your future muscle discomfort.
  • General Health – Your muscles are also very sensitive to your general health as well. You need to do anything you can to make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating protein, and drinking water. These small changes are going to improve your muscle health, which should improve the way your muscles deal with demanding lifestyles.
  • Massage – Massage is an excellent way to combat muscle stiffness and pain.

Both deep tissue and sports massage help to release muscular stiffness and pain, in addition sports massage treats sports injuries.

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