Muscle Imbalance and Long-Term Injuries

Muscle Imbalance and Long-Term Injuries

Accidents can happen anywhere and at any time, but the most common place for them to happen is at work. People hurt themselves a lot because they do the same movement patterns for 8 to 18 hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week. This puts too much stress on some muscles and not enough stress on others, which throws off the balance of the musculoskeletal system. If not treated, these injuries can become long-lasting, causing pain and problems that can endure for years.

When one muscle group is used too much, the other muscle group, which acts as a stabilizer, doesn't get used enough. When this imbalance settles into the musculoskeletal system, the body doesn't work the way it should. Instead of working together to do a specific job, the muscles work against one other, making the body use more energy to do the same job that it used to think was "simple."

Muscles lose strength when they get too short and tight because they are always in a semi-contracted condition and can't contract (shorten) properly because they are already too short to work properly. A muscle can't contract or shorten very much if it's already in a shortened, semi-contracted state. The muscle will be stronger and last longer if it can contract (shorten) and move more. Muscles that are always tight and stiff don't work very well, and they push against nerves and blood vessels around and under them, which can lead to conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, and many other Repetitive Strain injuries. Short muscles can also pull bones out of place, which makes joints unbalanced and can cause a lot of pain and problems.

Underused muscles are the same way. Muscles that aren't fully grown are weak since they don't get enough direct stimulation. Muscles that are weak are normally overly long, although they can go into spasm to prevent themselves from being overstretched. When the opposing muscle(s) are called into action, weak, underdeveloped muscles can't support bones in their normal position or alignment, which causes a joint imbalance to form. Whether a muscle is short and tight or long and weak, the body needs to fix the strength and length imbalance in the affected muscle(s) so that it can work properly without pain, problems, or limited movement in the muscles and joints that are involved.

Most biomechanical problems in the body are caused by muscle imbalances. In 90% of situations, an existing muscle imbalance is what causes the disorder, whether it's Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. A lot of treatments focus on the "band-aid principle," which means that the muscle imbalance can last for years with only a tiny amount of relief here and there. It's time to focus on the real "causes" of these ailments and get rid of them for good. Most musculoskeletal ailments can be rapidly and successfully gotten rid of with the right exercise and stretching routine.

A series of stretches and exercises are used to fix muscular imbalances. If you want to speed up the healing process, you can use soft-tissue treatment and hot/cold therapy. Usually, doing both stretches and exercises in the same program can get rid of the problem on its own, without the need for soft tissue treatment or hydrotherapy. If you want to get the best results, you need to follow a certain order while treating muscle imbalances. If someone does random stretches and exercises, they might hurt themselves more than help themselves.

When dealing with a long-term muscular imbalance, a good rule of thumb is to follow this plan:

1. Heat Therapy*: Use a heating pad for 5 minutes to warm up the joint and the muscles around it. This will get them ready for the stretches and exercises that are coming up. (You should warm up all sides of the joint and the muscles around it.)

2. Soft-Tissue Treatment*: Effleurage and Trigger Point Therapy are two types of soft tissue treatment that can help fix muscle imbalances by relaxing tight, overworked muscles and reducing muscle spasms. Using Transverse Friction Massage (TFM) on weak, injured muscles and/or tendons to break up adhesions on soft tissues can also help with pain and dysfunction. The simplest way to deal with the problem is to give the tight muscles a basic massage.

3. Stretching Routine: After warming up the muscles, it's important to stretch the tight, restrictive muscle group. This will make them longer and less likely to hurt nearby tissues and joints that are out of alignment. Stretching the weak, immature muscles is not a good idea because they are already too long and don't need to be made longer.

4. Exercise Routine: After the stretches have lengthened the tight, restrictive muscles, it's time to work out the weak, underdeveloped muscle group that is opposite them. This will shorten and strengthen the muscles so that they don't have to deal with as much tension from the tight muscle group. Working out and strengthening the weak, underdeveloped muscles not only makes the opposite muscle group relax and lengthen further, but it also helps keep the length that was gained in those muscles from the prior stretches. Do not stretch after working out because this can induce muscle rebounding and misalign the joints. When dealing with long-term muscular imbalances, always start with stretches and then do exercises right after.

5. Contrast Bath*: A contrast bath at the end of the full program will help reduce muscle spasms, get rid of toxins in the muscles, and improve circulation and the flow of nutrients to the injury, which can help speed up recovery. The basic approach is to heat for three minutes and then cool for one minute. Do it three times, ending with cold.

This general treatment plan for chronic repetitive strain injuries caused by muscle imbalances works very well and often gets rid of all the symptoms that were linked to the injury in a short amount of time. Before starting any kind of workout or therapy program, you should always talk to your doctor.

Keep in mind that your health is in your hands!

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