Tight back; tight hips; tight hamstrings… Oh my!
At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, tight muscles are one of the most common complaints we hear from new clients.
They’ve tried stretching. They’ve tried foam rolling. They’ve tried massages. They’ve tried deep breathing. And they are still tight!
Can you relate at all?
If so, you are definitely in the majority. In fact, for over 13 years we have seen first hand how the popular remedies for relieving tight muscles fall short time and again.
But why is this??
Truth be told, your tight muscles aren’t there haphazardly. It’s not like your body decided to play a trick on you while you were sleeping and tighten up certain muscles just for fun.
In fact, your tight muscles are serving a very special purpose; which is why every time you try to get rid of them by loosening the tightness directly, the tightness always comes back.
You stretch. You tighten up again.
You foam roll. You tighten up again.
You get a massage. You tighten up again.
You do your deep breathing. You tighten up again.
Every time you address the tightness directly, it always comes back.
If you have found yourself caught on this hamster wheel of tightness, you know how frustrating it is. Fortunately, there is something very simple you can do to step off the hamster wheel of tightness once and for all…
Stop trying to loosen your tight muscles.
Yes, we know this sounds like absolute blasphemy, but stick with us for a second.
Look, your tight muscles are not the issue. Sure, they feel like the issue because they are uncomfortable, but they are actually just the indicator that another issue is present.
In other words, they are the symptom, not the actual cause.
It would be like saying your headaches are caused by a lack of Tylenol. Tylenol can address the headache and make it go away temporarily, but a lack of it isn’t the reason why the headache is there.
Stretching, rolling, massage, etc. can make the tightness you feel go away temporarily; but a lack of these things isn’t the reason why you are feeling tight in the first place. Which is exactly why when you do these things, the tightness always comes back…
So why is the tightness there??
Believe it or not, the tightness you feel is actually there to protect you from injury. It is a simple way for your body to let you know that you are not in a good place to exert yourself physically and that moving too much could actually cause you harm.
But why might you be so vulnerable to injury??
Because there are muscles in your body that are weak and dysfunctional. Your body is able to perceive this, and in response cause other muscles to tighten up to let you know not to move those areas of your body too much.
It’s like if a group of four movers is trying to move a large couch but two of them are too weak and dysfunctional to help much. The other two muscles that are functioning well would have to do more of the work, causing them to feel overworked, tired, and tight.
If that same group of four movers kept trying to move couch after couch when only two of the movers were strong and working well, eventually those two movers would get overworked to the point of injury.
You could give those two strong movers the day off and try to help them relax, but they would be coming back to a scenario where they were the only ones working again, just leading them back down the path to injury.
Instead, a better approach would be to get the two movers who are weak and dysfunctional stronger and in better condition. That way, they could do their share of the work while the movers who were overworking wouldn’t have to work as hard.
If you switch out “movers” for “muscles” in this story, this lines up perfectly with what is likely going on in your body–your tight muscles are doing too much for other muscles that aren’t doing enough. You can try to get the tight muscles to relax all you want, but unless you get the underactive muscles working better, the tight muscles will keep getting overworked and tighten up again.
Muscle Activation Techniques® is a process we use at Muscle Activation Schaumburg to identify where in our clients’ body they have muscles that are not working properly, causing other muscles to have to overwork and tighten up.
Through the MAT® process, we are able to get the underactive muscles working better, helping the tight muscles to relax once and for all while still being strong enough to do all the activities they enjoy.
The MAT® process is completely different from what our clients have experienced when they’ve gone to physical therapy, chiropractic, or other forms of body work. In fact, when they first come in to see us, most new clients are absolutely shocked at how quick and effective MAT® is at addressing their dysfunctional muscles and helping their tight muscles relax.
If you are in the Chicagoland area–including Schaumburg, Barrington, Arlington Heights, Inverness, Wheaton, and Highland Park–and would like to experience Muscle Activation Techniques® for yourself, you can schedule a time to come in for your initial consultation and assessment by clicking here.
You don’t have to feel tight and achy all the time. So many people have experienced the positive benefits of Muscle Activation Techniques® and are living life to the fullest without pain or tightness.
Schedule your initial MAT® consultation and assessment with us here and we can’t wait to see you on our MAT® table soon!
In strength and health,
Julie & Charlie
