Why do muscles tighten and cause chronic pain?
Muscles contract whenever we use them. Unfortunately, they do not always relax back to a neutral resting position. We all know there are areas where our bodies are tight, where we carry stress. We change the way we sit, stand, and move to accommodate that tightness. These changes are called perpetuating factors. The body tries to handle the tightness as best it can. That tension in the muscles, accumulates over days, months, and years. Just like drops of water eventually filling a bucket, the tension in the muscle is more than the body can handle and a trigger point is established. That trigger point, an irritable spot in the muscle causes it to stay contracted and results in a medically documented pain pattern. Often where the pain is felt is not where it originates. The goal is to reverse the involved tightness and pain by eliminating the perpetuating factors, then through stretching, return the muscles to their full functioning length. This allows the muscles to return to full use a
