Muscles are designed to contract, and most of the time they function admirably - responding to signals from the nervous system, the tiny bundles of myofibrils that constitute a muscle ratchet themselves together and become shorter, with the cumulative effect of pulling bone A towards bone B with a great amount of strength and speed. When the nerve signals stop, the contraction stops and the muscle returns to its relaxed state.
But often muscles don’t relax, for many reasons. If our posture is off and we need to use muscular strength just to stand or sit, the nerve signals never stop to those muscles and they keep working - eventually even the fascia around the area becomes thick and tight. If our tissues become clogged with the poisons and toxins of daily life and diet, that may serve as a direct muscular irritant, or interfere with the works. If the stress we are under is often more than we are comfortable with (can anyone relate to this one?), then our whole nervous system starts firing steadily, and passes off much of that excess energy to the muscular system, jacking up tension in many places. And if we’re in pain - either from an injury or from overstressed muscles - we will tense up more in a protective response.
So you see, the tendency towards stiffening and muscle tension is endemic to our modern way of life. Okay, you say, so my muscles get tight, big deal. Yes, it can get to be quite a big deal. Our bodies are designed to work marvellously well, but one thing they need is the freedom to move properly and naturally, in the patterns of movement that we were built for.
Tighten up some muscles around a joint, and friction will occur - muscle and tendon will start rubbing against bone; the slippery cartilage surfaces that line each side of the joint will start contacting each other with force and wearing each other down; the joint will be restricted in its range of motion, and eventually ligaments and fascia around it will become shortened, settling the problem in for the long term. And, since we are built to move as a coordinated whole, mobility problems in one part of the body seldom stay localized. The end result is that we have a body that is stiff, uncomfortable to live in, prone to wear and breakage and degenerative disease, and short on overall vitality, since so much energy goes in to maintaining our various tensions.
Not a pretty picture. It’s a good thing the cure (and more importantly, prevention) is so simple. You got it - stretch! By spending just a few minutes a day, every day or as close to it as you can come, getting your body loose, you can avoid some nasty problems and rediscover what a wonderful place your body can be. Really!
Here are a few stretching tips:
- Take your time. Stretching cannot be hurried.
- Move around in the stretches described, feel what your body feels like at different angles. Remember, no two bodies are built alike. Your body will let you know if you push it somewhere it doesn’t want to go.
