Muscle Tightness

Muscle tightness is another common issue that we see at Back Up Clinic. Muscle tightness can cause a variety of issues that are seemingly unrelated. Even tightness in your lower leg can cause tightening of a chain of muscles that lead up through your hip, back and neck. Therefore, we must use some detective work to not only treat the immediate symptoms but also the underlying cause.

To treat muscle tightness, we use a combination of therapeutic techniques including chiropractic treatments, myofascial release and dry needling to address different aspects of muscular tension. 

Dry needling releases tight knots that cannot be release by conventional massage. Myofascial release uses external pressure to force tight muscles to release. And chiropractic treatments ensure that the underlying skeletal system is aligned to prevent muscles from re-tightening around the misalignment or injured area.

Stiffness, Tightness & Weakness

Unfortunately, many people who experience muscle tightness and the related pain feel like it is something that they just have to put up with. Even though, chiropractic treatments can offer a simple and permanent relief.

If you find you are consistently tight or stiff, especially after rest (like when you wake up), don’t accept this as a “just getting old”.  It is often the result of something wrong with some part of your musculoskeletal system and therefore quite treatable.

“Weakness” can play out as tiredness, reduced power (like not being able to open a jar as easily) or failure to work at all (like you can’t lift your arm).  Inactivity or not using your muscles will cause them to shrink quite rapidly; they may not even activate at all; your joints can get stuck preventing your muscles from contracting; you could lose the neuromuscular connection and have to rebuild it.
Tightness and weakness are interlinked – so often if you are tight on one side the other side will become weak and vice-versa which could spiral into a syndrome.

Neglecting weakness or tightness can lead to serious conditions, syndromes and premature degeneration. 

Knots & Trigger Points

A trigger point (or knot) is a sensitive nodule in the muscle generally caused by injury or overuse that when stimulated can cause local tenderness, a twitch response and or referred pain elsewhere. At Back Up, we release trigger points through soft tissue work, and if warranted, dry needling.  ​

Upper-cross syndrome

Upper Cross Syndrome affects the muscles and joints of the neck, chest, shoulders and back. In a healthy state, these areas work together and are in balance. With Upper Cross Syndrome, these become imbalanced such that some of the muscles shorten and tighten while others weaken and lengthen leading to joint dysfunction, slouching upper back, elevated and rounded shoulders, displaced shoulder blades, unnaturally arching neck and forward head carriage – causing all kinds of problems with everyday functioning.  

Specifically, the tightness of upper trapezius and levator scapula muscles (at top of your shoulders) crosses with the tightness of the pectoralis major and minor (chest muscles); while the weakness of the deep neck flexors (under your chin) crosses the weakness of the middle and lower trapezius, serratus anterior and the rhomboids (mid-back muscles).

Left untreated, you will have chronic muscle activation as your body tries to hold your centre of gravity and it gets worse and worse over time. So it is critical to seek chiropractic care – whether this syndrome is just developing in you or has progressed significantly.

Lower-Cross sydnrome

Lower Cross Syndrome is the result of specific patterns of muscle weakness and tightness in the hip and lower back/ lower abdominal regions. In a healthy state, (these - remove) muscles in the area work together and are in balance. With Lower Cross Syndrome, your pelvis tilts forwards, your hip joint flexes and your lumbar spine hyperextends – throwing off your balance and centre of gravity forcing your body into unnatural compensations (not only in this area but in the rest of your body – remove) leading to joint dysfunction, pain, postural and gait changes and so on.

Specifically, the tightness of your hip flexors (in front of your hip) crosses with the tightness of your lumbar extensors (in your lower back); while the weakness of the abdominal muscles crosses the weakness of the gluteus maximus (and medius - remove) (your butt muscles). The hamstrings (are - remove) frequently become tight as well.  

Left untreated, the unnatural compensations will spread beyond to the rest of your body, with chronic muscle activation as your body tries to hold your centre of gravity. It gets worse and worse over time, so it is critical to seek chiropractic care – whether this syndrome is just developing in you or has progressed significantly.