What Causes Muscle Tension?

Are your muscles painfully tight? Although over-the-counter pain relievers and creams can offer temporary pain relief, your symptoms will continue as long as your muscles and soft tissues remain tight. Chiropractic care relieves muscle tension naturally without any uncomfortable side effects.

Muscles react by contracting, or becoming tighter, after receiving a signal from the brain (our nervous system). Muscle contractions move the bone attached to a muscle, allowing you to lift your arm, take a step, or bend. After you complete the movement, the muscles should relax.

Sometimes muscles contract partially even when you aren't using them. Muscle tension can cause stiffness and pain, which may increase when you move the affected muscles. As a result, you may notice reduced flexibility and range of motion in your joints. Muscle tension in your shoulders or neck can be a factor in painful tension headaches, the most common type of headache, according to JAMA Network. Tight muscles may also trigger migraines. For me, headaches are one of the main reasons, a patient seeks out Chiropractic care.

On top of the headaches, sleeping becomes difficult when there is tension in the muscles. Unfortunately, lack of sleep may worsen tension, causing a seemingly never-ending cycle of pain and tightness.

Your muscles may become too tight for several reasons, including:

• Injuries. Muscle tension may increase after an injury that strains or stresses your muscles.
• Posture. Poor posture is a common cause of muscle tension. Slouching stresses muscles, pulling them tighter.
• Stress. Have you noticed your shoulder and neck muscles feel tight when you're stressed? Muscle tension is a common reaction to stress, particularly if you often feel overwhelmed or stressed.
• Overuse. Muscles can also become tense if you overuse them by exercising too long or too hard.

Relieving Muscle Tension with Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic treatments offer the ideal way to loosen tight muscles and relieve pain. Researchers who conducted a clinical trial published in the Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics in 2024 reported that chiropractic adjustments were more helpful in reducing low back pain than placebos or muscle relaxants.

During a visit to the chiropractor, your doctor performs an examination to determine the cause of muscle tension. Based on the results of the examination and a review of your symptoms, you'll begin a treatment program that may involve one or more of these therapies:

• Adjustments. Subluxations, misalignments of the vertebrae in your spine, pull on muscles and soft tissues, increasing muscle tension. Realigning the vertebrae with an adjustment decreases pressure on tissues and allows muscles to relax. Muscle tension in other parts of your body can occur due to a misalignment of a joint. Your chiropractor can realign joints with gentle adjustments that improve your range of motion while decreasing muscle pain and tension.
• Soft Tissue Therapies. Massage, soft tissue mobilization, and other therapies gently stretch tight tissues, releasing tension, and decreasing muscle spasms. The treatments improve blood flow and decrease inflammation.
• Posture Improvement. Tight muscles can become a chronic problem without posture improvement. Chiropractic care eliminates misalignments and balances your body, making it easier to maintain good posture. Your chiropractor can also offer posture tips and suggest ergonomic modifications that will help you maintain good posture while you work or play on a digital device.
• Exercises. Exercises that stretch and strengthen your muscles extend the positive effects of your chiropractic treatments. Your chiropractor may teach you a few exercises and stretches designed to counteract the effects of stress and poor posture on your muscles.

Ease your muscle tension with chiropractic care. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor