Exercise
This is possibly one of the most common questions I hear. ]
And the answer is “It Depends!”
Before I can answer, it’s important to understand WHY your muscles might be tight and spazzy… At Frederick Chiropractic Wellness Center in Frederick, we want to ensure that you are provided the most adequate information.
Protection — your brain may be turning up that muscle activity in response to an injury of a joint, ligament, or another muscle. Your nervous system will shut some things down and increase the activity of others to keep you from doing more damage.
Compensation — your brain may be using that muscle in place of another muscle (or group of muscles) that isn’t working correctly. A single muscle doing the work of several others is going to get angry, tired, and irritated sooner or later.
Weakness — sounds strange, but a muscle can feel tight and be functionally weak at the same time! Note that I said “feel tight” — a weak, overworked muscle is often inflamed and irritated, and sometimes just holding on for dear life to keep you upright and moving.
HOW TO OVERCOME CHRONIC MUSCLE TIGHTNESS
The typical self-treatment approaches for tight muscles are to rub, massage, stretch, or foam roll. Massage and stretching can certainly be relaxing and helpful, without the nasty effects of medications. But if the muscle is tight and irritated for the reasons noted above, it will keep coming back, sometimes with a vengeance! Too much stretching in certain situations can actually inhibit muscle function, leading to loss of strength, stability, and power.
The usual medical approach to muscle spasms is to medicate the pain or take muscle relaxers. These do nothing to address the underlying problem and often have nasty side effects. I often see patients who have been prescribed some sort of combo of pain killer, and a muscle relaxer, occasionally with an antidepressant thrown in because they are miserable from being sick and tired.
Here at Frederick Chiropractic Wellness Center in Frederick, Dr. Morrone uses advanced techniques to evaluate your pain, mobility, and strength of your spine and joints to figure out how they are working (or not!) and why.
Because you are unique (just like everyone else) you will get recommendations for stretching, strengthening, breathing, and mobility exercises specifically designed to reduce your pain and help you heal.
Call us today if you want help making the most of your stretching routine!