Emotional Reasons Why Muscles Won’t Release?
I saw a patient yesterday that sparked today’s blog about an interesting issue that comes up while
performing corrective stretching programs.
Why is it that some muscles just won’t release?
First off, we must keep in mind the driving influence for muscle tension, and that is your central nervous system.
You see, your muscles are frankly quite stupid. They aren’t the “brains” behind the operation so to speak.
Your muscular system takes the cues from what your nervous system tells it to do.
However, that does NOT mean that muscles can’t have their own problems. For example, there is a close
correlation between the amount of athletic training years (or years in the gym also!) and the amount of muscular adhesions and scar tissue someone has.
Why? Well, the more years you have “beat up” your body as a result of training, you will have had strains, micro damage and so forth to your muscles.
In this situation, your muscles will respond VERY well to stretching and specific massage techniques like neuromuscular therapy applied to certain areas.
Now, back to the central nervous system. There are 2 major divisions, the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic.
Sympathetic is the “fight or flight” aspect, while Parasympathetic is the “rest and relaxation” aspect.
Sympathetic stimulation will increase muscle tension in preparation for a potentially stressful event. This is the primary reason for the inability to get a muscle to relax.
Now begs the question, what causes sympathetic stimulation?
Thats one LONG list!
Worry
Fear
Anxiety
Restlessness
Food allergies
Digestive issues
Nutritional deficiencies
Illness
Organ distress
This is by far not an exhaustive list!
Of course, this is one of primary reasons why I address nutrition and emotional stress in my programs. It has
led to breakthroughs in some of the most challenging cases I have seen!
Soon, I’ll be coming out with some resources on how to address these factors, so keep checking back!
Sam–
Welcome back!
Back Stretching Can Be Worthless…
I know this topic may rub many therapists and exercise enthusiasts the wrong way, but hear me out. Over the years of working with hundreds of pain sufferers, I’ve encountered many different packages of muscle imbalances, and have tried tons of methods for correcting them.
When I first started doing muscle imbalance correction, I was taught to stretch the tight muscles, then strengthen the weak muscles. This process has brought me an immense amount of success with many patients. As I mastered designing routines and enjoyed a great level of success, I became quite bored. Since then, I have experimented with all sorts of procedures for correcting imbalances.
What I found is that there are a few interesting patterns that became very obvious when evaluating and working with:
I have noticed that there are 3 types of people when it comes to flexibility: First, those who are “gumby”, meaning that they have a tremendous amount of joint flexibility and what appears to be little muscle tone. These individuals are much more likely to get joint injuries, and have “delayed” muscle activity.
The second type, those who are “bound” meaning that they have a LOT of muscle tonus, and are generally very “tight”. These individuals are much more likely to have muscle strains, or tears, because the muscles are “hyper”. The 3rd type, sits right in the middle of these 2, and shares characteristics of both.
The interesting thing about these types is that their personalities seem to reflect the amount of flexibility they have in their bodies. The more “gumby” the body, the more flexible they tend to be mentally, easily taking on new concepts and open to new learnings and ideas. On the other end, the “tight” people tend to have more “boundaries”, and are less likely to take on new ideas, and be less “flexible” without a thorough filtering process before they change.
Now, I am not saying that stretching is completely useless, but instead needs to be assigned based on knowledge of the type of back pain sufferer that is seeking relief. As you may have guessed, the “bound” type of people will benefit MUCH more from stretching, and also more relaxation training. The “gumby” people will benefit more from strength and stability training, along with possibly reinforcing or setting up new boundaries in their lifestyles.
–Sam Visnic
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"Having someone like Sam to refer my patients to who is as comprehensive, brilliant and caring as he is makes my job so much easier!! I feel assured that my patients are in good hands and are going to get the results they so desperately want. I highly recommend Sam to anyone who is looking to resolve their back pain easily and effectively!”
-Dr. Holly Lucille N.D., R.N. -
“I've used Sam on more than one occasion to help me with back pain issues. As a full time web designer I often spent too many hours sitting behind the pc which led to chronic back pain. I started working with Sam a few years ago and his knowledge and insight helped me to alleviate my back pain issues and even improve my posture. Whenever I start to have back pain issues I just re-implement the tools and techniques he showed to me and in no time my back pain goes away. He really is the back pain specialist!”
-Jimmy Powell
Owner, Stellar Media Group -
“Sam is an excellent mind/body fitness coach & trainer. When it comes to eliminating complex back problems, Sam's your man. He is passionate about his work and dedicated to healing his clients. I highly recommend his services.”
-Michelle Armstrong
Author, "Manage Your Mind, Master Your Life" -
“In my experience it is rare to find a health practitioner who consistently cures the underlying issues, and successfully drives to total wellness. Sam has become our trusted family 'health support system' because he is one of those rare people. He has successfully helped my mother in law, sister, wife, daughter, and myself cure what western medicine has been unable to. We highly recommend Sam ... plus he's a cool guy !”
-Tim Parsey
Microsoft Partner, Dir UX -
“I was so impressed when working with Sam, from his detailed and thorough evaluation, to the great workouts and home exercises prescribed. I've referred a number of people to Sam and in the past we've used his DVD for gifts to patients for home care. I strongly recommend Sam's services and hope to be working with him personally at some time in the near future.
-Dr. Matt Costantino
HealthSource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab