I stretch everyday… so why am I always tight?

I stretch everyday…so why am I always tight?

Ever found yourself asking this question? Are you the person that no matter how much you stretch your muscles still feel tight?

The answer is a lot more simple than you think.

The most obvious reason why muscles may feel tight is because they are physically shorter than they used to be. This occurs if the muscle has been held in a shortened position for a long period of time, such as if you were in a splint or a cast for several weeks. In this situation, once you’ve stretched out your muscles and started to use them through a larger range of movement they will return to their original length.

BUT WAIT….

One of the more common reasons for muscles feeling tight is because they are not coping with the load you are asking them to do

…meaning that the muscles are weak….

When you contract a muscle under load, micro tears form in the muscle. This is a normal part of muscle activity. However, when the load is too heavy or it is repeated more than what the muscle can tolerate, these micro tears struggle to recover, leaving that tight feeling.

This is why stretching doesn’t help.

The muscle is not short.

It is actually not strong enough.

The solution? 

To strengthen those muscles that feel “tight”.

This will allow your muscles to cope with the loads you are asking them to do.

If you’re not sure if your muscles are short or weak, book in to see one of our friendly physiotherapists for an assessment – you’ll be able to shake that tight feeling in no time!

Get in touch!

03 9686 2373

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Catherine Etty-Leal