Why do muscles tense?
Do you feel muscle tension after exercising? Tight muscles are not only frustrating and painful, but they can also limit movement. Worst of all, they can make it difficult to adhere to your exercise program. Knowing how to control and prevent muscle tension will help you keep exercising. Muscles can tense for a number of reasons. The three times when muscle tension can occur are during exercise, after exercise, and during periods of prolonged inactivity.
While you exercise
While exercising, your muscles may tense up and you may experience a muscle cramp. Cramps are unpleasant, often painful sensations caused by a variety of factors including muscle fatigue, low sodium or potassium content. Muscle cramps can also occur even when you are not exercising. When the muscles contract, the muscle fibers shorten, increasing the tension on the muscle. When the contraction is complete, the muscle fibers lengthen and decrease the tension. During a muscle cramp, however, the muscle fibers remain shortened and cannot lengthen due to fatigue or improper hydration and nutrition. Forcibly stretching the muscle when it is so tight and contracted can tear the muscle fibers and lead to injury. Let the muscle spasm relax and heal before attempting to stretch the cramp.
To prevent muscle cramps from occurring in the future, make sure you are adequately hydrated, properly fed, and not overly fatigued when exercising. If you do exercise sessions that last longer than 60 minutes, consuming an electrolyte replenishment drink can help prevent muscle cramps.
After exercising
Muscle pain can be felt as pain and stiffness in the muscles for 24 to 72 hours after exercise. This pain and stiffness are more intense after exercises that focus on eccentric contractions in which a weight is lowered or decelerated. Examples of eccentric exercises include the downward phase of a bicep curl or a downhill run. The pain and tension felt are the result of small tears within the muscle. It can be prevented by gradually increasing the intensity of a new exercise program. While the pain will generally go away within 72 hours of onset, increasing blood flow to the painful area, either through moderate intensity exercise or massage, can help relieve pain. Stretching does not prevent pain; however, it is still important to do some static stretching after exercise to maintain or improve flexibility.
During periods of prolonged inactivity
During long days and weeks of working at a desk, some muscles may tense as a result of your restricted movement. When you are sitting at a desk, your hips are bent or flexed. This places the muscles at the front of the hip (hip flexors) in a shortened position and the muscles at the back of the hip (glutes) in an elongated position. Also, as you sit at a desk stretching forward to work at a computer, your chest muscles (pectorals) will be in a shortened position, while your upper back muscles (rhomboids) will be in an elongated position. Over time, this can result in muscle imbalances with the shortened muscles becoming “tight” and the elongated muscles weakening. If you look around, you will notice that many people have developed poor posture with rounded forward shoulders and underdeveloped glutes.
To avoid this tension due to decreased range of motion, it is important to maintain proper posture, even while sitting. You should also specifically strengthen the small muscles that have become elongated and weakened. Lastly, you need to make sure to stretch tight muscles, specifically the chest and hip flexors.
Proper exercise, stretching, and nutrition strategies can help prevent and correct what can be called muscle tension. Proper posture, exercise choices, and stretching will avoid tension due to decreased range of motion. Proper intensity of exercise, as well as hydration and nutrition before, during and after exercise, can help prevent muscle cramps. Proper exercise progression and static stretching after exercise will help prevent muscle soreness and maintain range of motion, respectively.
