Five Tips to Relax Stiff Muscles

From time to time, each of us experiences fatigue. Sometimes there is a feeling that the body is clamped in a vice.

It causes severe discomfort. Everyone uses muscle relaxation techniques: someone is sure that it is enough to take a warm bath, someone needs to sit in their favorite chair for a while, and someone thinks that the best medicine is sleep.

All these relaxation methods give a particular effect, but it is often short-term because the degree of muscle tension is different. It is worse if a person ignores such clamps, believing that everything will pass by itself. Muscle tone is helpful in moderation, and its overabundance can lead to severe consequences.

The Benefits of Muscle Relaxation

Relaxation is a decrease in the tone of skeletal muscles achieved with the help of special techniques, exercises, physiotherapy, and medications.

Relaxation is significant for those with increased muscle tension or a tendency to a sharp change in muscle tone, leading to various diseases.

Good tone is a balance between tension, contraction, and relaxation of muscles. Most people experience muscle tension. It applies to those who are fond of sports and those who are constantly in an unstable emotional state.

Causes of Painful Overexertion

One of the most common reasons for going to the doctor is back pain, namely in the paravertebral muscles and the spine. According to official data, about 80% of people have experienced back pain at least once in their lives, which makes this pathology a significant medical problem.

This pathology often affects people who stay in a static position for a long time, which leads to overstrain of the muscles that support this pose. For example, we can give office workers who sit at the computer for a long time in the same position or people after a long flight. After that, one awkward movement is enough for the back to make itself felt. As a result, we feel a sharp or dull aching pain – this is how the body tries to signal the host about the problem of muscles and ligaments.

Often, the appearance of pain appears after a violation of posture, curvature of the spine, lifting weights with a jerk or one hand, an improperly organized workplace with a poorly selected table or chair.

In other cases, if a person has pathology in the lower extremities, the biomechanics of movement in the spine changes, leading to certain overstraining groups of back muscles. As a result, pain occurs in them. Such pathologies include arthrosis of the hip or knee joint, valgus deformity of the feet, etc.

The situation can be so bad that even in a dream the body cannot enter a state of relaxation.

Relaxation exercises are more often done while sitting in recliners. You can perform most of the practices without getting up from a chair. If it is difficult for you to determine which chair is considered ordinary and which is a relaxation chair, you can read an overview of the most famous brands of recliners for relaxation.

Try to turn stretching into a helpful habit – set up reminders in your smartphone every two to three hours.

Exercises to Relax Muscles

Below, you’ll find some exercises and tips to relieve tension in your muscles.

Head tilts to the side

Sit on a chair. Place your right palm on the top of your head and pull your head slightly to the right, leaving your back in a straight position. Hold for 30-40 seconds, slowly return to the starting position. Repeat five times for each side.

Why: It helps relieve tension in the neck.

Cat

Get on all fours and lean on your hands. On exhalation, arch your back up as much as possible, lower your head. As you inhale, bend down and lift your head. Repeat ten times.

Why: stretches the muscles of the back and neck, helps to avoid slouching.

Tilt to the wall

Stand facing the wall at a distance of two steps from it. Put your feet hip-width apart. Lean forward and rest your hands against the wall. An angle of 90° should be between the body and the legs. Straighten and stretch your spine as much as possible; stay in this position for 20–30 seconds. Repeat five times.

Why: stretches the back, improves posture.

Butterfly wings

Sit on the edge of the recliner, spread your legs shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms at the elbows. Then, throw them behind your head and interlock your fingers at the back of your head. Spread your elbows as much as possible. As you inhale, open your arms to the sides and pull your chest forward. On exhalation, put your hands behind your head again and bend your back. Feel the tension of the muscles. Repeat five times.

Why: restores the correct position of the spine.

Twisting on a chair

Sitting straight on the chair, gently turn the body and shoulders to the side. To increase the amplitude and turn around more:

Grasp the chair’s back with the nearest hand.
Hold for 15–20 seconds.
Repeat five times for each side.

Why: relieves back pain, straightens the spine.

Here are some more tips on how to make the practice as effective as possible:

Practice in silence, alone, eliminate all distractions.
Put on comfortable clothes, take off your shoes, and sit comfortably on your recliner. There are models with heating and massage that can help you relax. To find out more about these options, check out this guide on how to pick the best recliners for relaxation.
Do exercises before meals, do not smoke, and do not drink alcohol before relaxation.
Do not get up immediately from the chair (if you did it sitting). Close your eyes, count to five, and then slowly rise. Due to a drop in blood pressure, there is a risk of fainting.

Conclusion

Do not neglect these rules even when you will feel completely healthy.

You should not engage in self-diagnosis and self-medication. It can be dangerous! In most cases, expensive diagnostic methods such as CT or MRI are not compulsory.

To find out the cause of back pain, consult a doctor. It will help save your time and money.