Most of us will feel “tightness” in our muscles at one point or another, this issue with this is do you know what that tightness means?
Muscles can feel tight when they are locked in a shortened position, but they can also feel tight when they are locked into a lengthened position.
Confused yet?
Bicep shortens whilst tricep lengthens to flex the elbow
To move our joints, our muscles work in pairs. When one muscles contracts, the opposing muscle lengthens. Eg take your arm for example – to flex your arm at the elbow, you contract your bicep, your tricep lengthens. To straighten the arm, your tricep contracts whilst your bicep lengthens.
You probably don’t feel tightness in your arm even when your bicep is locked in the shortened position, however you may feel discomfort in your shoulder or elbow. This is due to where the muscles attach and your biceps and triceps are longish muscles compared to ones where you might feel ‘tight’.
Areas people tend to feel tight are in between the shoulder blades – around the rhomboids and in the hips and glutes.
Muscles lengthened at the back and shortened at the front.
Why does it feel tight in the upper back?
If your shoulders are rounded forward, your chest muscles (pectorials) are contracting and shortening. This means that the rhomboids are lengthening. When it feels tight between the shoulder blades, it’s likely your upper back muscles are locked in a long position.
Why does it feel tight Deep in my hips or buttocks?
There are so many muscles in this area – take your hip joint as an example. If you feel tight in the joint and you spend most of your time in a seated position, it’s likely your glute muscles are locked in the long position, whilst the front of your hips are shortened.
These are just some of the deeper muscles in the hip. Image: Essential Anatomy
Is this why stretching the area only feelS good temporarily?
Stretching can feel good but are you stretching the muscles the right way?
Yes. When the muscle is already long, it doesn’t need yet more tension applied. Going for a massage can sometimes have the same effect if you’re working with a therapist who isn’t focussed on the muscle pairs. A massage solely focussed on the area of pain may not resolve the issue because the tension that needs releasing is actually elsewhere. If however, your massage includes the opposing muscle groups, you are more likely to get relief for longer.
How do I help?
As a Soft Tissue Therapist, I look at your posture and movement; treatments are conducted actively so we’re always testing tension and movement, this is so you can get better outcomes rather than temporary fixes.
So what should you do?
Try stretching your opposing muscles, eg if your upper back feel tight, stretch your chest muscles. If your hip and glutes feel tight, stretch the front of your hips. Also, look out for next week’s blog on where you can find out if strengthening is your remedy. If you can’t wait and want to find out more about how I can help you, book your complimentary call now.
I am Sabrina Qua - Soft Tissue Therapist, Movement Coach and Personal Trainer based in Worcester Park, Epsom, who helps people reduce their muscular aches and pains through an integrative approach, so they can live active, enjoyable lives. More tips and information available in my Facebook group Reduce Pain and Move Better.