How massage can help sooth sore muscles

You may have heard about how helpful massage can be when it comes to relieving tight muscles, but what makes muscles tight in the first place? Actually there are a number of different factors that can cause stiff, tight, and sore muscles:

Muscles can tighten up simply because of things you do in day-to-day life. If you spend a good amount of the day sitting at a desk, the muscles in your neck and back can become especially stiff due to spending too much time in the same position. Poor posture is another factor: stooping or slouching for a long span of time will cause muscle tightness.

Another reason muscles become tight is stress. Have you ever noticed a sore neck or shoulders after a stressful event or conversation? When you are anxious you tend to clench your muscles, and those clenched up muscles can cause you a lot of pain if they aren’t addressed.

Other times, muscle tightness can occur completely out of your control. If you suffer from certain kinds of conditions or diseases, such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, or muscular dystrophy, muscle tightness may be symptomatic.

So if you are suffering from sore and tight muscles, how can massage help?

First, massage helps to decrease inflammation. Unlike anti-inflammatory drugs that often just mask the pain, massage actually helps to heal the damage done by inflammation.

Massage also increases circulation, which is necessary in repairing muscle damage and making muscles relax.

Finally, massage manually stretches and realigns tight and clenched muscles. Deep tissue massage is especially helpful when it comes to relaxing tight muscles.

If you’re tired of tight muscles and want to know more about how massage therapy can help, contact us today.