5 Activities That Help Relieve Muscle Tightening - What to Know

Posted by Alan - May 15, 2020


Brisbane Deep Tissue Massage

Muscle tightness is a sensation, rather than a symptom or condition that most commonly arises after physical inactivity. 

Some of the most common causes of muscle tightness are stress, dehydration, and staying in the same position for an extended period of time. Of course, the sensation of tight muscles can also be triggered by experiencing a physical injury or from overusing your muscles and joints when doing extreme physical activities.

In most cases, muscle tightening can be treated using various home remedies. However, if the pain becomes too intolerable, make sure to consult a physiotherapist to relieve the sensation. Here are some effective non-sweaty activities that can help relieve muscle tightness:

 

Activity #1: Swimming

Swimming is a low-impact whole-body exercise that doesn’t stress your joints, making it perfect the perfect physical activity for everyone. Swimming is a type of workout that lengthens your muscles, making your joints recover faster and increase flexibility. Additionally, water decreases the impact of gravity on your body, allowing your muscles to unload themselves.

In short, swimming helps muscle recovery and enables you to deliver your daily tasks much more comfortably.

 

Activity #2: Cross-training

Cross-training is a type of workout that uses several modes of training to achieve a specific fitness goal. People who do cross-training either do it to improve their health or to train themselves for an upcoming competition.

The good thing about cross-training is that it’s entirely customizable to your needs, ability, and goal. If exercise is not your cup of tea, you can do gentle activities that simply stretch out your muscles. However, if you are a trained professional, changing up your routine can help your muscles to become more flexible.

 

Activity #3: Foam rolling

Foam rolling is considered a self-myofascial release technique that is mostly performed as a warm-up or cool-down exercise. It is said to relieve muscle tightness, soreness, and inflammation. It is also considered as a DIY exercise, and anyone can make it a part of their routine, depending on their strength and ability.

The roller device is made of a dense foam that doesn’t hurt your body. Some say that rolling your body over this device has the same effect as getting a body massage.

 

Activity #4: Body massaging

A body massage is the easiest activity, helping you loosen your muscle tightness without pain. Aside from the given fact that it helps relieve tiredness and body pain, a full-body massage will also help improve sleep, eliminate toxins, and alleviate depression and anxiety.

The friction between the hands and the body increases your blood flow around the area. When there is an increase in blood flow, the muscle temperature rises, relieving muscle tightness.

 

Activity #5: Meditating

Meditation is a practice that focuses on the essence of mindfulness. Studies have proven that proper meditation helps a person control anxiety, enhance self-awareness, lengthen their attention span, and reduce stress.

It is scientifically proven that stress causes your muscle to tighten. Thus, if you don’t want to do any physical activities, you can try meditating and see if this will work well for you.

 

Conclusion

Muscle tightening can happen anytime, whether you are at work or at home doing chores. For some people, it can become too painful and intolerable to manage. To prevent it from happening, you should exercise your muscles regularly, even by doing simple activities.

If you are looking for an affordable physio in Brisbane, contact us today to book an appointment. We also offer online physiotherapy to assist our patients while they are in the comfort of their homes.