Muscles Feel Tight? Loosen Them with a Massage

Many clients who visit our center for a Santa Monica massage describe their muscles as feeling either tight, stiff, or cramped. 

If your body is in pain, this feeling can affect your entire wellbeing. At our center, we focus on different muscle groups that cause our clients pain and tightness in the muscles. During massage sessions, your masseuse will apply varying degrees of pressure to increase blood flow and stretch out the sore tissue that is causing tightness in your muscles.

In this article, we will explain what causes muscles to tighten and offer ways to help you reduce muscle tension.

The Causes of Muscle Tightness

If you experience muscle tightness, your muscles are essentially unable to relax. You might feel sharp pain, cramps, or even have a hard time moving.

The human body contains 600 muscles that are grouped into three categories: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. Muscle tightness tends to affect the skeletal muscles, which make up 30-40% of an individual’s total body mass. The skeletal muscle group is connected to your bones and allows you to move, function, and perform everyday tasks. 

A primary cause of muscle tension is stress. Stress can have a significant impact on the body and mind. It can also manifest itself as physical pain, tension, and other issues such as high blood pressure or digestive problems. Stress can even affect the nervous system which leads to muscle tightness. 

Other causes of muscle tightness:

• Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS): This condition can last for a couple days after an intense workout. You may experience physical symptoms such as severe pain and tenderness or reduced joint range. Athletes are prone to developing DOMS and a massage is an excellent way to alleviate the pain. 

• Dehydration: If you are not properly hydrated, you increase the risk of muscle and joint pain. Your muscles (as well as your kidneys) consist of 79% water. Drinking water helps prevent your muscles and tendons from feeling tense. 

• Sedentary lifestyle: Many people are working from home and spending countless hours sitting at their desk. If you do not get up from time to time to move and exercise your muscles, you will likely experience muscle tension. Prolonged inactivity can cause the muscles to tighten over time.

• Poor posture: It is important to have proper posture when you are sitting, standing, or lying down. Poor posture can lead to musculoskeletal imbalance and cause pain in your muscles and joints. 

• Muscle strain: If you strain a part of your body, it can cause an injury to the soft issue and affect the way your muscles and tendons function. Getting Santa Monica massage therapy on a routine basis can help address this issue.

If you experience severe muscle tightness, you should consider contacting your healthcare provider to ensure that the tightness is not due to any underlying health issues. 

How to Combat Muscle Tightness

• Stretching: Regular stretching helps loosen tight muscles. It allows you to stay flexible and move with ease. 

• Massage therapy: If you want to loosen your muscles, getting an Asian massage in Santa Monica can do the job. A professional massage can increase circulation and blood flow to tight muscles.

At Santa Monica Massage and Reflexology, our team offers a wide range of services to help target your muscle tightness and make you feel more comfortable. Call (310) 928-9851 to book a Santa Monica massage today.