Tightness. The Never Ending Quest For Relief.
If you’ve ever been a human existing on this planet you’ve experienced some sense of tightness or knots somewhere in your body. How long do you go until you start using a foam roller, hammering the area with a theragun, or try yanking that limb out of it’s socket? (To of course, gain SOME relief)
You use the said above modalities and then what?
Do you feel better?
For how long?
Most instances that I have run into with clients that have used these modalities before is that it “gets them through”. Which is a very interesting answer as it almost sounds like you are in a war with that specific part of your body.
My approach: instead of being at odds with it, why don’t you work WITH it…
Sounds counterproductive, but here’s how the process ACTUALLY works.
Identify the limited ranges of motion AND the muscles that contribute to those motions.
Strengthen both sides (the shortening and lengthening side) of the joint axis in which you are affecting.
Watch the tightness/knots disappear and the relief settle in as the neuromuscular system learns how to use those muscles throughout their entire ranges of motion.
Become physically and mentally strong even though you’re older.
A real life example of what most people experience is tightness in the hips, back, chest, shoulders, neck from sitting at a computer all day. The reason your body is protecting those areas via tightness, knots, etc. is because it has become unsafe for the muscles to move out and around the positions you normally sit in. Your body has NO IDEA how to move in and out of that slouched position safely. Cue: tightness and knots! (Also, mental/emotional stress will contribute to this 10 fold. I’m sticking with the physical for right now)
Starting to reverse those motions is a good first step to counter this, but this is generally where the system breaks down for most people.
You need to learn how to CONTRACT the muscles that get you INTO that position and that get you OUT of that position to truly support your bone structures.
Learning what and how the muscles function in YOUR questionable areas is the best thing you can do to insure your body is working WITH you and not against you.
When will you be ready to try something different than what you’ve been doing?
How many more times will you hammer away at those knots before you realize it may not be helping?
Don’t let the excuse of “I’m getting older,” “I sit a lot,” or “I have had a lot of injuries” stop you from exploring what your body is truly capable of doing.
When you’re in the right hands, magical things can happen.
Trust me I see it EVERYDAY!
