Healthy Muscle Function
We use our muscles to move everywhere we go, it’s no wonder they get tight at times! It can be easy to take our body for granted and wonder what happened when “all of the sudden” we tighten up, our back goes out or we start getting regular headaches. Of course, there can be many factors, but today, I want to talk about some major characteristics of healthy muscles. We’ll look at three components; strength, flexibility & function.
The interesting thing is, trigger points inhibit all of these characteristics. So, if you’re struggling with muscles issues, a massage is a great place to start!
Function: This one is complex, but what I mean by this is supporting our muscles and keeping them healthy so that they can have the best function possible. If you eat junk all the time, you most likely will be inflamed and your tissues won’t be getting the proper minerals and vitamins it needs such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Magnesium. I have a client who drastically changed her diet and not long afterwards, her muscles were SO much less inflamed. I was honestly quite shocked how quickly we saw progress. Water also play a huge role. With water making up 76% of muscle mass, you can see why you might feel better when you’re hydrated. Everything moves more fluidly, like a well oiled machine! One of the most common vitamins I recommend is Magnesium, as it is a major vitamin in 300 body functions. With my clients, I specifically have seen client after client get relief from muscle spasms soon after starting on magnesium. So, the point is, making sure you are taking care of your body as a whole through nutrition, movement & water will ensure your muscles have a chance at being healthy and keeping you moving.
Flexibility: If you know you take pretty good care of your body, but you’re still feeling stiff, flexibility is another key component to keeping your muscles healthy. What you do all day long makes a difference! Is it sitting at a computer? Are you on your feet all day long? These can cause tension throughout your body and put strain on the muscles that support you in that position. Personally, I love starting and ending my day with a few minutes of stretching. As I stretch, I can feel my muscles opening and lengthening, which is so beneficial to keep that at optimum length and keep muscles flexible. If muscles continue to tighten and not be lengthened, we will notice less range of motion, and more pain. I plan to post a short video of a routine that I’ve adapted from my workout warmups throughout the years. It includes a few of my favorite stretches to keep everything fluid and moving.
Strength: One of the most important characteristics of muscle health is strength, the ability to do the tasks you need to do and to keep you muscles healthy. On a basic level, you need strength to do basic, everyday tasks. On an elevated level, strength training is very healthy for long term muscle health and important in weight loss. I see people pretty often who have lost strength as well as function where they are having pain. Trigger Points are a huge contributor to losing strength in a muscle and this MUST be released before trying to strengthen the muscle back up. I have had many many clients try to go to PT to rehab muscles and it just makes their pain worse. This is because the knots and trigger points have to be released, bring back function and flexibility into the muscle BEFORE we start bringing in exercises to strengthen. As you can tell, this is a bit of a soap box for me, but if the muscle is in state of constant contraction with knots, you’ll most likely just get frustrated trying to strengthen.
You can take some of this into your own hands at home! Of course for function, so much of it depends on how you are taking care of and loving your body and spirit. As I mentioned, I plan to post a quick video of my stretching routine, but we also have an e-course with guided foam rolling techniques for general use and seven different areas of the body, how to use the Trigger Point Ball, and 10 spots we always use it for & 10 different stretches! It’s a great resource to return to again and again. Working on yourself at home can have a great affect on your body between appointments and keep you feeling great!
I hope this post served you-if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or dm us on social media!
xo, Nikki