Why Do Muscles Feel Tight?

When someone says they feel tight in a particular area, they might be referring to several different complaints. So I try to find out:

•Are they talking about poor range of motion?
•Or maybe range of motion is fine, but movement to the end range feels uncomfortable or takes excess effort.
•Or maybe the problem isn’t really with movement, but just that the area never reels feels relaxed.
•Or maybe the area feels basically relaxed, but has some vague sense of discomfort - a feeling that is unpleasant but too mild to be called pain.

This ambiguity means that the feeling of tightness is just that - a feeling - which is not the same thing as the physical or mechanical property of excess tension, or stiffness, or shortness. You can have one without the other.

For example, I have many clients tell me their hamstrings feel tight, but they can easily put their palms to the floor in a forward bend. I also have clients whose hamstrings don't feel tight at all, and they can barely get their hands past their knees. So the feeling of tightness is not an accurate measurement of range of motion.

Nor is it an accurate reflection of the actual tension or hardness of a muscle, or the existence of "knots." When I palpate an area that feels tight to a client (let’s say the upper traps), they often ask - can you feel how tight that is?!

I often say something like:

Ummmmmm ...... no. It feels just like the surrounding tissues.

But I completely understand that it FEELS tight in this area and you don't like it.

I don't like the feeling of tightness either so I want to help you get rid of it. But the feeling of being tight isn’t the same thing as that area actually being physically tight. Make sense?

This actually does make sense to most people, and they find it mildly interesting. I want people to understand this because it might help them reconsider a misconceived plan they may have already developed for curing their tightness - such as aggressive stretching, fascia smashing, or adhesion breaking. So now they are willing to consider an approach that is a bit more subtle than driving a lacrosse ball halfway through their ribcage.

Why do muscles feel tight if they are not actually tight?

So why would a muscle feel tight even if it physically loose?

I think we can use pain as an analogy. Pain can exist even in the absence of tissue damage, because pain results from perception of threat, and perception does not always match reality. Pain is essentially an alarm, and alarms sometimes go off even when there is no real danger.

Perhaps a similar logic is involved in the feeling of tightness. The feeling happens when we unconsciously perceive (rightly or wrongly) that there is threatening condition in the muscles that needs a movement correction.

So what is the threatening condition that a feeling of tightness is trying to warn us about? Surely it is not just the presence of tension - muscles are made to create tension and we often feel tightness in muscles even when they are almost completely relaxed.

So tension is not a threat, but the absence of adequate rest or blood flow is a threat, which could cause metabolic stress and activate chemical nociceptors. So the problem that a feeling of tightness is trying to warn us about is not the existence of tension, but the frequency of tension or the lack of blood flow (especially to nerves, which are very blood thirsty.)

With this in mind, I think of the feeling of tightness as a variety of pain, perhaps a pain too mild to deserve being called pain. But it is definitely bothersome. And it has a certain flavor or character that motivates an interest in changing resting posture, or moving around or stretching. Which is different from certain pains, which often make you want to keep still. Maybe we could say that pain is warning us to not move a certain area, while tightness is warning us to get moving.

How Can You Cure Muscle Tightness?

I think we can probably treat the feeling of tightness in the same way we treat pain - by changing one of the many "inputs" that cause the nervous system to perceive threat in the body, such as nociception, thoughts, emotions, memories, etc.

Some pains are very obviously related to movement or postural habits. We can know this if someone says something like: "It hurts when I do this, and it hurts even more when I do more of this, and it hurts less when I do less of this." In this case, changing movement or posture is likely to help because it will reduce the main driver of the pain – mechanical nociception caused by movement.

On the other hand, there are many other cases of pain, particularly chronic pain, that are more complex – the pain doesn't correlate very much with certain movements or postures, but instead with other variables like time of day, sleep duration, emotional state, stress level, diet, general exercise, or some random unknown factors. In this event, it is unlikely that mechanical nociception caused by movement is the main driver of the pain, and more likely that peripheral or central sensitization are playing more of a role.

I think we can look at the feeling of tightness in the same way.

In most simple cases of feeling tight, the cause is obvious – we have been stuck in the same posture or movement pattern for too long, and our muscles need a rest or change of position to reduce the ischemia or metabolic stress that is causing nociception in certain areas. For example, if we spend hours in a car, or an airplane, or behind a computer, we will instinctively feel compelled to stretch and move, and this will usually alleviate any feelings of stiffness or yuckiness.

Of course, most clients who complain of chronic tightness have already tried and failed at this simple strategy. The feeling of stiffness remains for hours and days at a time, comes and goes as it pleases, and is less related to posture and movement.

In these cases, the driver of the discomfort may have more to do with the nervous system becoming either peripherally or centrally sensitized to the need for more blood flow in certain areas. This could happen through local inflammation, adrenosenstivity, increased sensitivity at the dorsal horn, or maybe even learned associations between certain environments (say computers) and certain sensations (e.g feeling like crap).

So how do we reduce this sensitivity?

There isn't an easy answer to this question, because if there was, it would solve the problem of chronic pain, and no one is figured out how to do that yet. But if I'm right that the feeling of tightness is a mild form of pain, then it should at least be easier to deal with.

Below is a list of several methods people often use to address a chronic feeling of tightness, along with some thoughts about each strategy from the above perspective. You'll notice that some of the recommendations run exactly opposite to what people often do.

Stretching

We instinctively stretch muscles that have remained in a short position for a while, and this usually makes us feel immediately better.

But, as noted above, most people who suffer from chronic tightness have already tried and failed at this strategy, which suggests the issue is less about bad mechanics and more about increased sensitivity.

The problem is that many people, and indeed many therapists, will think that the failure of a few simple stretches indicates the need for a far more aggressive program. This would of course make sense if the root of the problem was short or adhered tissues. But if the root problem is in fact increased sensitivity, then aggressive stretching might just make the problem worse. On the other hand, stretching can often have an analgesic and relaxing effect.

So is stretching a good way to cure tightness? Like with most things, I say if it feels good do it. If it doesn't ... don't.

Soft tissue work for Tightness

There are various soft tissue treatments (deep tissue massage, foam rolling, Graston, ART, IASTM) intended to lengthen short tissues, break adhesions, or melt fascia, etc. This is very likely impossible, as I and many others have pointed out.

But could these treatments decrease sensitivity and make someone feel less tight? For sure, by activating descending inhibition of nocicieption, which is a well-known effect of painful stimulation that is expected to bring health benefits.

But of course these treatments also create nociception, which tends to increase sensitivity. It's a fine balance that depends on the individual and many other variables. Again, if it feels good do it, but it's an option not a necessity, it's only temporary, and you should keep in mind the reason for doing it.

Motor control for Muscle Tightness

Many forms of movement therapy are essentially motor control approaches – they seek to change movement, postural and breathing habits so they are more efficient, eliminate parasitic tension, develop the skill of relaxation, etc.

Habits are hard to break, but this strategy is worth a shot, especially in cases where tightness seems related to certain postures or movements. Of course, where the situation is more complex, motor control shouldn't be expected to fix the problem on its own.

Exercise and resistance training

People tend to associate strength training with becoming tighter. During exercise, muscles of course become very tense, and they may feel stiff the next day because of delayed onset muscle soreness. There is also the (false) idea that strength training makes muscles shorter and less flexible.

These concerns are unfounded. In fact, full range of motion strength training can increase flexibility, perhaps more than stretching. It creates local adaptations in muscle that may improve endurance and make them less likely to suffer metabolic distress. And exercise also has an analgesic effect and can lower levels of inflammation that cause nervous system sensitivity.

Here's a personal anecdote. Back in the days when I did yoga I had much more flexibility, but my hamstrings always felt tight. Then I quit yoga and started doing a lot of kettlebell swings. My forward bend decreased a bit, but the feeling of hamstring tightness was GONE, even though I was working the hamstrings HARD. In its place was a feeling of functional strength and capacity, which I imagine decreased any perception of threat related to lengthening my hamstrings.

Of course if you overwork your muscles from strength training and don't let them recover, they will get sensitive, stiff and sore. But if you work them the right amount - enough to create an adaptation and not too much to cause injury or prevent full recovery - then you will make them healthier, stronger, and yes - less stiff.

Conclusion

When you feel stiff, remember it is a feeling, and not necessarily a physical condition of shortness that needs an aggressive structural solution. Like other feelings, you feel it more when you are sensitive. And like other forms of sensitivity, it will go down if you improve your overall fitness, strength, awareness, motor control and health.

This article originally appeared on Better Movement & was written by Todd Hargrove.

Do Acupuncture Needles Hurt?

Many patients ask if acupuncture needles hurt when inserted into the body. This inquiry is relevant and common to almost everybody interested in getting an acupuncture treatment. We felt it was important to take some time to provide information about acupuncture needles and how they feel when used by a licensed acupuncturist.

What are acupuncture needles made out of?

Modern acupuncture needles are made out of stainless steel and come in various lengths and gauges of width. Acupuncture needles have a stainless steel shaft, with a handle made out of copper, steel or plastic.

How thick are acupuncture needles?

Needle thickness is a something many patients are curious about; there is a belief that the thicker the needle the more potential for pain. The thickness of the needle used for treatment depends on a variety of conditions ranging from the acupuncturist’s preference to the specific ailment being treated.

Acupuncture needles are solid with a fine point, unlike hypodermic needles that are hollow and primarily used for intramuscular injections or for drawing blood. Hypodermic needles have a sharp cutting-edge point, something that acupuncture needles do not have. A helpful comparison is that most acupuncture needles are so thin that you can fit about 10 of them inside the shaft of a hypodermic needle.

Who is allowed to use acupuncture needles?

While it is true that acupuncture needles can be purchased by people other than acupuncturists, it is strongly advised that you only allow a licensed acupuncturist to needle you. Please note that chiropractors, naturopaths and physical therapists are not licensed acupuncturists. They may perform acupuncture (or “dry needling”) but in reality acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine that is performed by licensed acupuncturists who have extensive and thorough training.

A licensed acupuncturist has attended acupuncture school, has a master’s degree, a professional license and is required to have thousands of hours of training. In a previous blog post titled “The Importance Of Receiving Acupuncture From A Licensed Acupuncturist” we provide information about why you should only get acupuncture from a licensed acupuncturist. If you are considering getting acupuncture we strongly urge you to read through this post.

Do acupuncture needles hurt?

When patients receive an acupuncture treatment for the first time they often report having a variety of sensations. Some people describe feeling a dull ache, a tingling or pulsating sensation or experience nothing at all. There are other people who state that they feel a small pinch when the needle is inserted but the sensation dissipates quickly.

Very rarely will a patient report feeling any pain after a needle is inserted; if so, it will quickly be removed. Pain isn’t something that should be felt or elicited, in fact a common reason acupuncture needles are used in the body is to alleviate pain. What is more common is that patients will state that they will feel some discomfort after being needled but after they settle in and relax the sensation soon passes.

If you’ve been thinking about getting acupuncture but have been worried about whether or not it hurts, we hope that this article helped to alleviate some of those fears.

This article originally appeared on Above & Beyond Acupuncture, and was written by Paul Kerzner.

What To Do For Muscle and Joint Stiffness

Q: I went to see a chiropractor today to get orthopaedic lifts for my shoes, and he gave me a bit of an examination at the same time.

He told me that I was very stiff and I was likely feeling a lot of back pain. Actually I have no back pain but I am very stiff. I have always struggled with flexibility.

These days my upper shoulders and back of my neck are often sore and tight. I have been slowly working on some of the stretches on your website, but this guy wanted me to go see him and he would help me with adjustments, etc., etc.

I'm wondering if I can just rely on stretching (seriously 30 minutes a day) to regain flexibility and deal with these problems instead of actually seeing this guy.

A: Generally, my feeling is that it's best to see what you can accomplish with a regular stretching routine.

In the absence of chronic inflammation or pain from an acute injury, stiffness in the back, shoulder, and neck regions is typically caused by one or both of the following:

• Stiffness within the joints in the area

• Tight muscles

Joint stiffness can cause surrounding muscles to become tight from lack of use, and tight muscles can cause underlying joints to become stiff, also from lack of use. So for practical purposes, in addressing stiffness, it doesn't really matter which one is causing the other; the vast majority of stretches promote joint flexibility and healthy muscle length.

Chiropractic adjustments aim to prevent joint stiffness, typically by delivering a "short amplitude, high velocity" thrust through one of the planes through which the involved joints are designed to move.

Though chiropractic adjustments can be immensely helpful in promoting optimal joint motion, my experience has been that without regular stretching and awareness of daily activities and postures that are at the root of chronic stiffness, adjustments can become a short term fix.

In my opinion, it's better to adopt a lifelong program of stretching to establish and maintain healthy length and blood flow in all major muscle groups, which should help your joints and surrounding ligaments to stay healthy as well.

I would add foam rolling to your stretching routine, as I find it to be an invaluable tool for keeping muscles, ligaments, and the joints they service healthy.

Also keep in mind that beyond stretching and foam rolling, you can likely benefit from some resistance training that promotes a strong core and good body balance. For example, instead of doing conventional push-ups, by doing push-ups with one hand on the ground and one on a medicine ball, you force muscles, ligaments, and proprioceptors (joint receptors that register joint position sense) throughout your body to develop a high level of functional strength. By functional strength, I mean strength that your body can consciously and subconsciously use to stay balanced and be less prone to injury as you go about your daily activities.

Another example of an exercise that promotes good body balance is one-leg squats, where you keep your core strong, balance your weight on one leg, and do slow, controlled squats - even just a few degrees will yield big dividends to your functional core strength and balance.

But not to move too far away from your question, a regular program of stretching and foam rolling is where I would begin - this really needs to be the foundation of your self care program. If you try to do too much with strength and balance-related exercises without ensuring that your muscles are healthy and your joints are moving properly, you might just reinforce faulty patterns of being and moving.

Archive of Stretching and Foam Rolling Posts

After spending a few months taking care of your body, if you feel that you haven't experienced significant improvement and can use some help, that's when I might visit a chiropractor, physiotherapist, kinesiologist, or any other practitioner that specializes in functional movement work. If your stiffness is severe enough that you can't stretch and exercise effectively, then it makes sense to seek treatment from day one.

Find more info at: http://drbenkim.com/what-do-muscle-stiffness

Kinesiology Reveals Precisely Where the Problem is & Exactly What it Needs to be Healed

The word 'Kinesiology' comes from the Greek word kinesis, which means 'movement'. In the medical sciences this is the name given to the study of muscles and the movement of the body (biomechanics or traditional kinesiology). Kinesiology research and development can be traced back thousands of years to Aristotle (384-322 BC); Leonardo da Vinci (1429-1519) famous for his studies of human structure and function; Luigi Galvani who in 1780 discovered that muscular contraction was caused by electrical impulses produced by nerves.....

Muscle testing combined with Kinesiology techniques enables the practitioner to find out which systems are out of balance i.e. mental, chemical, structural or energetic – which could be one, several or them all. For someone to be truly healthy all four systems need to be functioning well and in harmony with each other. In my opinion Kinesiology is the only treatment which addresses all four areas and as such is truly holistic.

Kinesiology obtains positive results when other modalities including orthodox medicine have failed. The longer someone has had a problem the more likely it is that all the systems will need to be treated. More importantly is to find the underlying cause and to identify the factors which may be contributing to such imbalances.

Once you have all this information, then corrections can be applied to all four areas. Restoring this balance can have profound effects on people's lives.

Correction Techniques

Methods of strengthening a weak muscle may include firm massage to the tendons at its origin and insertion. If this method strengthens the weak muscle it may also benefit the muscles' related organ and health problems. For example, the pectoralis major clavicular muscle (PMC) is related to the stomach meridian and the stomach.

If the PMC tests weak, it may indicate digestive problems or emotional upsets.

Bilateral weakness may indicate a spinal fixation at T5 or T6.

In the 1930s American osteopath Frank Chapman discovered reflex points, now known as neurolymphatic reflex points (NLs), found on the front of the body in the intercostal spaces between the ribs and where they join the sternum and on the back where they meet the vertebra. Other NLs have since been discovered. When massaged they stimulate the elimination of excess lymph and may strengthen weak muscles. This is a very common correction used in treatments as most people have a sluggish lymphatic system due to lack of exercise.

Chiropractor and clinician Terence Bennett researched and mapped out vascular reflexes now known as neurovascular reflex points (NVs). These points are located mostly on the head and many are bilateral. They are treated by gently pressing them and tugging in different directions until a pulse can be felt, under the fingers. Once this pulse is felt, the points are pressed for about 20 seconds or until the pulsation stops. These points stimulate the vascular circulation to a specific organ and its related muscle. For example, NVs for the PMC are located bilaterally on the forehead halfway between the eyebrows and the hairline. Holding these points stimulates the circulation of the blood to the stomach and strengthens a weak PMC and can be extremely effective when used to treat emotional distress.

Kinesiologists are trained to test approximately 50 different muscles. Any one of these muscles which tests 'strong in the clear' (without stimulus) can be used as an indicator muscle to test for other things. Known as therapy localization, this is done by testing the indicator muscle at the same time as the client touches the site of an injury, for example. If the indicator muscle now tests weak it indicates a lesion, and further muscle tests will be undertaken to ascertain what corrections are needed.

Other correction techniques include holding or massaging acupuncture points, repeated muscle activation (RMA), reactivity, stretch weakness, testing for nutritional support or substances which weaken or strengthen the body. ICAK-approved techniques are only those that they have clinically researched and work for anyone who uses them.

Thanks to muscle testing and AK, a treatment is totally client led and will differ for each individual. People may have the same symptoms but the underlying cause may be different and therefore the treatment needed will be different. For example, ten clients could complain of headaches but there could be ten different reasons why.

Usually at the end of a treatment a client will be given advice of some kind which may include nutritional requirements, dietary changes, exercise or simple techniques to reduce stress.

The Benefits

The greatest application of Kinesiology is in dealing with everyday complaints for which no permanent cure has been found. The assessment techniques are good at identifying the causes of problems and can be very useful in pinpointing the sources of general unwellness and fatigue that have no obvious medical causes. As Goodheart said, "The body never lies". Kinesiology lets the body reveal precisely where the problem is and exactly what it needs in order to be healed, enabling problems to be corrected at source often permanently. Kinesiology is also ideal for preventative healthcare.

In more serious conditions, Kinesiology enables people to function as well as possible under the circumstances and to be supported towards better health. Sometimes different types of treatment may be needed at different times. For example, initially there may be structural problems to be dealt with, and once these have been treated emotional problems may surface. Emotional problems and stress can be treated very quickly without any need for in-depth psychoanalysis.

Specifically Kinesiology can help people with many common conditions including: allergies, chronic fatigue, asthma, eczema, candida, IBS, migraine headaches, insomnia, anxiety, phobias, low mood, weight problems, fluid retention, digestion problems, muscular and skeletal pain, arthritic pain, hyperactivity, breast congestion and much more. Because Kinesiology does not focus on specific symptoms, the list of health problems which it can help or alleviate is endless. By improving posture and coordination people have more stamina and less pain.

How Long Does it Last?

The number of treatments required varies depending on the condition being treated. Some problems are short term and can be sorted fairly quickly, some are chronic and may take much longer.

So, for example, if someone has had a health problem for years it may take longer to relieve than something that has developed fairly recently. Treatment lasts until whatever the stress on the body was that caused the imbalance recurs. Kinesiology assessment will try to discover what the stressors are and re-educate the body to stay in balance.

Is it Safe?

When practiced by people who are properly trained, Kinesiology cannot harm anyone. The techniques used for correction are simple and gentle. They work by enhancing the clients' energy, following the dictates of the clients' own body as to what is energy enhancing and what isn't. It is suitable for adults and children (including babies). People who are very sick or disabled in some way can be treated by using a surrogate.

Are There Any After-effects?

Treatments are powerful and deep-reaching and can bring about major energy changes which may make one feel tired or sleepy or other slight symptoms such as a headache or cold. Withdrawal from foods or substances causing intolerance or toxicity may cause unpleasant symptoms as the body detoxes. Fortunately they don't last too long, and can be seen as a good sign that healing is taking place. Healing effects can continue for days, weeks and even months after treatment.

Kinesiology Can Enhance Other Therapies

Kinesiology is the link, the lynch pin, which brings together all the different modalities which are currently taught in a fragmented way and often in competition with each other.

Combining therapies with Kinesiology can significantly enhance their efficacy and speed of recovery. Structural therapies such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, massage, reflexology can be enhanced by being able to treat, for example, emotional problems and stress which can cause tension in skeletal muscles which in turn can cause subluxations and postural imbalances.

Recurring structural problems may be caused by food intolerances or nutritional deficiencies. There is also the added advantage that using Kinesiology with its gentle muscle tests and corrections will also reduce the 'wear and tear' on the practitioner.

Mental or emotional therapies such as counselling, hypnotherapy, NLP, psychology may be enhanced by being able to test for food or chemical sensitivities which have been linked to hyperactivity and schizophrenia and other mental disturbances (Mackarness 1990) and headaches or migraine. Emotional traumas that could take years to treat in some instances can be resolved in minutes (Callaghan 2001).

Depression may be treated by addressing pain, structural problems or nutritional imbalances.

Healing in therapies such as nutrition, homeopathy or herbalism can be speeded up and enhanced by being able to muscle test to find the most appropriate remedy(ies). Problems with poor absorption or toxicity can be easily identified and treated. When symptoms have subsided, tests can be done later to evaluate whether a remedy is still relevant.

Dentists use Kinesiology in their practice to reduce stress or phobias in clients, and to correct TMJ subluxations which can cause back pain, sciatica and digestive problems. Nutrition can be recommended to eliminate anaesthetics from the body after surgery.

Acupuncturists have found that when they use Kinesiology in their treatments they are able to find the underlying imbalance much faster and a successful outcome is more likely. Bach Flower Remedies and Aromatherapy essential oils can be quickly identified using muscle tests. Chronic chakra imbalances may be rectified by correcting spinal fixations.

Educationalists and parents can do much to help children and adults with learning difficulties using Brain Gym exercises and by recommending testing for nutritional deficiencies and food sensitivities.

For more info visit: http://www.positivehealth.com/article/kinesiology/kinesiology-and-its-applications
Written by Pam Bracken