May/June 2002 Alternative Health
Next Day Stiffness

by Todd Pennington

On the sports field, does your body allow you to move or does it scream at you. In the garden, can you work all day and feel good the next day? On the job, is your body saying don't _____ (fill in the blank with what ever causes you muscle pain). In each case, it is likely to be tight muscles that are causing the problem. This includes, but is not limited to: wrist pain, neck pain, low back pain and weakness, shin splints, etc. Many sports frequently apply sudden force to the body (foot ball, track, soccer, basketball, etc.). When this happens, the force is absorbed in the body, muscles tighten to slow down and stop the force as it enters the body. Depending on how it actually disrupts, the body decides how much of the tightening is released and how much is kept.

Over time, the trauma accumulates and restricts the ability to move. In some cases, bones can be forced out of place and held there by tight muscles. Speed slows, reaction time slows and life in general is more painful. You can take pain pills and move easier for awhile, or take care of the tight muscles and actually move freely again.

When doing repetitive work such as computer, assembly and many other tasks, it is easy to keep the tightness long past when you should. Each time you finish a task the body should relax and let go of extra tightness; few of us do this. It is easy to be pushed to keep up or get more done. Also, many kinds of outside stress can limit the ability to relax quickly. What happens is that muscles tighten and stay tight. Over time this accumulates and restricts movement. Most of the time, this will be ignored until it gets to be so noticeable that life is becoming disrupted. Once again taking pain pills works for a while, but unless the tight muscles are relaxed it keeps coming back. Taking care of the ergonomics (correct work position) helps and can reduce the cause. Frequently, this is not enough to take care of the past accumulation.

Many of us find out how much we can do when it comes to those extra things like gardening and chores around the house. In the past, you could work all day in the garden and feel great, now just two hours and you notice it the next day. It is not the garden that changed, it is that you have tightened muscles and they are talking to you.

Very few of us have learned to relax all of our muscles. In many cases, a massage can help. More than just a gentle rubbing of the skin, a massage therapist that knows how to find and then relax the long term tightness can really help. In many cases, even long term muscle problems can be assisted. All it takes is finding the causative muscles and getting them to relax. It is common, to so reduce the pain and tightness that it greatly increases range of motion, speed and agility.

Even if you have been told that nothing can ever be done, there can be hope of change if the problem is due to muscle tightness. Frequently this improvement can last for many years. To have long term results, the entire system must be relaxed and not just a part of it.

Control Muscle Release Therapy looks at the muscles that control bones and muscles at a distance. The goal is to release the structure easily and gently. The easiest way to release the whole body is to relax the key regions of the body. I work on all the issues that I have talked about.

For more information or an appointment contact Todd Pennington, LMT, at (503) 244-4427 or 10175 SW Barbur, Suite 306, Portland OR 97219. For more articles see www.penningtonmassage.com.