Everyone has tight muscles sometimes, and some people have tight muscles all the time. While tightness is certainly uncomfortable and a request for attention, it is not a diagnostically useful adjective, because this sensation has a number of causes. Treatment for one type of tight muscle may actually make another type worse. Learn six types of tension so you can respond to your muscle complaints more effectively.
#1 Short and overused
After a long walk or intense workout, the leg muscles can feel tight and sore from being overused. The muscles are tight and could benefit from a gentle stretch, especially when they are hot from activity.
#2 Long and overused, but weak
Unbalanced posture creates unbalanced muscles. Some muscles will be short and contracted. Others will be long for the counterweight, creating a stiffness that feels like tightness. The computer pose is a great example. The muscles in the front of the chest are short and overused. The upper back and shoulders are overstretched and working in a compromised and weakened position. Isometric exercises, such as drawing your shoulder blades together and lowering them to shorten and strengthen your upper back muscles, are effective.
#3 Underutilized and weak
If a muscle is not used, it will atrophy and the surrounding connective tissue and fascia will become dense. In computer pose, several arm muscles fall into this category. Gradually build strength through exercise to rebuild muscle health and a feeling of flexibility in the fascia. Exercises that use many muscles at once, such as knee-down pushups or light-weight bench presses, work better than machines that target individual muscles.
#4 tensioned
Muscles that are overused to the point of tension contract to protect themselves. That can come from exercising too much, gardening, or helping a friend get around. The first step in healing is rest. Ice, heat, or a combination may also help. Then gradually introduce exercise and stretching. It’s important to get back into your usual routine and build up slowly to avoid additional stress.
#5 Trigger points
Stress can create trigger points, as can structural imbalance, poor posture, and cold. These knots are often described as tight. The best treatment is to warm up the muscle, press or massage the tender points, and then stretch.
#6 scar tissue
Muscles and connective tissue that have been damaged, whether from a sudden injury or ongoing microtrauma due to misalignment, repair themselves with rigid, unyielding scar tissue. Manual therapy such as deep tissue and cross-fiber friction massage is an effective treatment. Gentle stretching sometimes helps, but overstretching creates microtears in the connective tissue and even more scar tissue.
Manual therapists and exercise professionals must diagnose the source of the strain so that it can be properly addressed. For example, lengthening or stretching a long, overused muscle makes it even stiffer. For the client, becoming aware of what is underlying the feeling is an important tool for self-care, injury prevention, and personal growth.