Chronic Muscle Tension

Do you have chronic muscle tension? If yes, then you know, it is very unpleasant. You probably also know that constant muscle tension causes your muscles to remain triggered, and you lose control of the ability to relax your own body. This condition of tension can leave your muscles sore, with tightness and feeling constant discomfort. Chronic muscle tension can occur anywhere in the body, in the back, neck, shoulders, legs, or abdominal area. Chronic tension is extremely common, and it is not good for you.

Chronic tension can happen from the stagnation caused by sitting for ten-twelve hours upfront of a computer or moving furniture all day long. It might seem counter-intuitive, but a big reason for chronic muscle tension is psychological stress. When you get stressed, from an ongoing problematic situation at work, or due to a complicated and challenging relationship at home, your body continually tens up. Your muscles and the nervous system stay triggered, and your body goes into fight and flight mode. Relaxation does not happen in this state, thus arises tension. 

So stress not only causes muscles to tense up, but also constricts blood vessels, and that decreases the blood circulation. This whole loop creates a slower rate of detoxification, increased pain, discomfort, more tension, and muscle knots. Muscle knots can be caused by stress, tension, or exercise wear and tear. With too much intense activity, the muscles can't relax properly, resulting in muscle tension and knots.

All of these can cause tension headaches, intense headaches that occur in response to overly tight muscles in the neck and shoulders. The contraction pulls on tissues surrounding the skull, squeezing it and causing severe pain. Muscle tension can even be a trigger for migraines, intensely painful headaches that can result in temporary loss of vision and vomiting. Not addressing muscle tension can also lead to pulled muscles or other injuries if the person continues to use them during exercise. It's essential to treat the tense muscles and muscle knots before they become worse.

Clinical massage therapy is an effective treatment for chronic muscle tension. Therapeutic sports massage is a massage modality that focuses on treating chronic tension, soft tissue injuries, aches, and pain associated with exercise. Sports massage combined with deep tissue and clinical approach can help to reduce muscle stiffness and tension, improve range of motion and relaxation by lowering your heart rate and blood pressure.