Are you stressing out your muscles?
Are you stressing out your muscles?
Stress is a regular visitor to most of our lives and depending on how often or long it pops around for, it may manifest itself in the body in numerous ways. From increasing your heart rate and blood pressure to straining your lungs with rapid, heavy breathing, agitating your stomach, and effecting you hormonally – causing weight gain or loss. It can keep your immune system in a heightened state, which eventually wears it down to a point that it doesn’t respond appropriately to real danger, it also has a tendency to show up in the condition of your skin. On top of all this, and probably more commonly, it results in tense, sore muscles.
As you tense up under the pressure of stress your muscles tighten, your posture changes (usually for the worse), muscles become strained with certain muscle groups having overcompensate for you new state of being. Inevitably, you’ll begin to experience pain. This could be within the muscles involved, or as a result of clenching, such as with the jaw.
Why is this so?
Stress triggers the good old “fight or flight” response, releasing the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol (among other functions) promotes increased blood supply to the muscles and triggers contractions – priming them for fighting or running away. Something that is generally not so necessary or helpful for the stress being experienced in today’s world.
If you’re feeling the effects of stress and are in need of assistance to unwind, help is at hand (literally!). Here at 13th Beach Health Services we have an experienced team of practitioners, including osteopaths, physiotherapists, remedial massage therapists and myotherapists who can provide the treatment and advice to help you and your body to relax.
Contact our caring clinic today on (03) 5254 2668 or come and see us in Barwon Heads or Ocean Grove and let our team bring you relief. Alternatively you can select either our Barwon Heads or Ocean Grove Clinic and book online Here.