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By Dr. Virginia Nsitem
Pride Health Columnist
Do you wake up feeling stiff and tight? Do your muscles ache after a hard workout or long period of intense activity? Do your muscles feel weak? Stretching and strengthening may help to ease the aches and pains you experience.
Tight muscles and joints
Tight muscles and joints can lead to loss of flexibility at the joints. This can make it harder and more painful to bend, twist, reach, and move. Some researches believe that muscle weakness may actually lead to muscle tightness. The body tightness up to prevent injury of the weak muscle!
Symptoms of muscle tightness
- Tight “knots” in the muscle
- Muscle spasms
- Pain
- Change in posture
Tips to relieve the pain
- See your health care provider for a comprehensive stretching and strengthening program
- Make sure your exercise routine is balanced: Strengthening exercises keep the joints strong and stretching exercises help with flexibility
- Perform exercises slowly
- Forget the “No pain…no gain” quote. You may feel some discomfort, but you should not feel pain when exercising
- Be consistent. Stick to your program 3 or more times per week to achieve the best results
Dr. Virginia Nsitem is a chiropractor specializing in laser therapy for muscle, joint and nerve injuries, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences in Canada. She may be reached at (905) 275-4993, or by email at totalhealth@bellnet.ca.
