Stop Stretching! It might not actually be what you need
OK, OK- BREATHE!I know this news might be startling. Especially if you've gone your whole life thinking that stretching is the key to fixing all of your body woes. (Or maybe you're celebrating because you actually hate stretching lol).But despite what your gym teacher or softball coach told you growing up.... stretching isn't always the solution to feeling better.
Why does the muscle feel tight if it's not actually tight?
Picture your body like a Christmas tree with thousands of teeny tiny little lights. Those lights indicate the cells that detect sensations like temperature, touch, pain, etc. They are constantly sending signals up to your brain telling your brain things about the body or the outside world. Your brain can consider than information and whether it feels safe or not, and then send instructions back to your muscles telling them what to do/ change based on the info it is getting.
Therefore, often, the brain is telling the muscle to shorten in order to protect itself from some kind of perceived threat (even when none really exists!). Or, the brain is misinterpreting the information it is receiving from the muscle leading you to believe it is tight without the muscle actually being shortened.One example is if the muscle is unable to shorten and lengthen (contract and relax). It, therefore thinks it tight and vulnerable... leading to a self fulfilling prophecy and a viscous cycle.
What kind of treatment would be best to stop the muscle from feeling tight?
One that gets to the root cause of why it feels tight, of course! This will involve having a therapist take a deep look at not just that muscle, but everything around it and likely the rest of your body as well. Once you know why the muscle feels tight, your therapist can then use a variety of different gentle hands on techniques to correct the problem
What can I do on my own to stop the tight feeling?
We suggest trying out something called "eccentric" strengthening to help shake up your normal work-out or rehab routine. Most of the time, traditional work outs and rehab are aimed at "concentric" strengthening where the muscle is shortening plus some stretching to lengthen the muscle. Instead, work on "eccentric" strengthening which uses the muscle to lengthen with control (think of a bicep curl when you are lowering the weight back down).
This teaches the muscle to both shorten and lengthen, reassuring your body that it can do so and it turn, the brain will feel more comfortable letting the muscle lengthen and relax day to day. Meaning it will no longer feel tight. Cool, right?!
PS- if you are currently stretching thinking that it will cure your pain but aren't seeing the results you want... we'd love to provide you with a new ( cough-better-cough) strategy ;)
We are offering 5 Free Mini Sessions this upcoming week for anyone who is feeling frustrated with their current approach to their injury, pain or tightness and is motivated to start feeling like themselves again. Click the button below to request a spot.