Why Do Muscles Feel Tight?

Why do muscles feel tight? Does that mean they are short? That they can’t relax? And what can you do about it?

Here are some of my thoughts about why muscles feel tight and what to do about it.

When I was in Physiotherapy school, my textbook will describe Tightness as a condition in which there is Limitation of movement in a particular joint due to a shortened muscle.  It is the right definition for sure but as I saw a lot of my patients with complaints of muscle tightness and stiffness with no definite objective finding I started to think that muscle tightness or stiffness could be a feeling of not being relaxed.

This ambiguity means that the feeling of tightness is just that – a feeling – which is not the same thing as the physical or mechanical property of excess tension, or stiffness, or shortness. You can have one without the other.

For example, I have many patients tell me their neck or shoulder feel tight, but they can easily lift their arms all the way up or bend their neck fully. I also have patients whose hamstrings don’t feel tight at all, and they can barely get their hands past their knees. So the feeling of tightness is not an accurate measurement of range of motion nor is it an accurate reflection of the actual tension or hardness of a muscle or existence of knots.

So why would a muscle feel tight even if it physically loose?

I think we can use pain as an analogy.  Pain can exist even in the absence of tissue damage, because pain results from perception of threat and perception does not always match reality. Pain is essentially an alarm, and alarms sometimes go off even when there is no real danger. Perhaps it is the same in the feeling of tightness. The feeling happens when we unconsciously perceive that there is threatening condition in the muscles that needs a movement correction. So what is the threatening condition that a feeling of tightness is trying to warn us about. It could be the absence of adequate rest or inadequate blood flow to the muscle. It can also be staying in a position for prolonged period of time. With this in mind, I think of the feeling of tightness is perhaps a pain too mild to deserve being called pain. But it is definitely bothersome and it push us to change our resting posture, or move around or stretch.

So how can we cure tightness? Here are some ways to do:

1.    Stretching- We stretch muscles that have remained in a short position for a while, and this usually makes us feel immediately better. But, as noted above, most people who suffer from chronic tightness have already tried and failed at this strategy, which suggests the issue is less about bad mechanics and more about increased sensitivity. This would of course make sense if the root of the problem was short or adhered tissues. But if the root problem is in fact increased sensitivity, then aggressive stretching might just make the problem worse. On the other hand, stretching can often have an analgesic and relaxing effect.

2.    Soft Tissue work- There are various soft tissue treatments like deep tissue massage, Foam rolling, Graston and ART intended to lengthen short tissues, break adhesions, or melt fascia. These techniques will not lengthen tissues but it could decrease the sensitivity and make some feel less tight as well as increase blood circulation to the area.

3.    Motor Control for Muscle Tightness- Motor control pertains to change of habits or posture.  Improvement of posture, change position every few minutes and always be conscious of muscle tension.

4.    Exercise and Strength Training-   Full range of motion strength train increase flexibility, perhaps more than stretching. It creates local adaptations in muscle that may improve endurance and make them less likely to suffer metabolic distress and exercise also has an analgesic effect and can lower levels of inflammation that cause nervous system sensitivity.

Conclusion:

When you feel stiff, remember it is a feeling, and not necessarily a physical condition of shortness that needs an aggressive structural solution. Like other feelings, you feel it more when you are sensitive. And like other forms of sensitivity, it will go down if you improve your overall fitness, strength, awareness, motor control and health.