By Emma MacDonald, posted March 2021.
You may have heard the saying “tight muscles are weak muscles” and you may be thinking, but how can this be true?
A True Cause of Muscle Pain
This tightness occurs when a muscle group is not strong enough to support the task you are doing. You may feel tightness in your quads and hamstrings, especially after activities like running. This happens because the muscles cannot generate their full strength for the task. As a result, they become overworked, leading to tightness.
This is essentially the same when neck pain occurs from sitting at a desk all day. The muscles of the neck keep the head and cervical spine supported, but can eventually become fatigued.
It’s natural to then assume that stretching and mobilising the area of tension will ease the muscle pain. Stretching improves muscle flexibility and length. It also increases range of motion, which helps reduce tension and tightness in the painful area. However, this stretching may only provide temporary relief.
By working on strengthening the muscles, you are providing them with the ability to withstand the task you are asking of them. Whether this be running, weightlifting, playing sport or working at a computer each day.
Both stretching and strengthening of the muscles play an important part in muscle pain management and it is worthwhile including both in daily exercise routines.
Emma MacDonald is a registered Sports Massage Therapist and Soft Tissue Specialist.
Her specialist areas include Soft Tissue Release (STR) and Muscle Energy Technique (MET), both extremely effective techniques in helping restore normality to tight and restricted muscle tissue, in turn increasing range of motion and a reduction in pain.
Book to see her here at Back To Health Wellness in Guildford.