Remember when you thought you would live forever? When you jumped out of bed with a spring in your step, your body feeling like a well-oiled machine, and embraced the day? Those days are drifting into the distance. We need more time in the morning to ‘loosen up’ before walking like the 26-year-old we still think we are. Not to mention the aches and pains in our shoulders, knees…the list goes on. We asked Sal from Sal Petrassi Lymph & Muscle Centre to explain how our muscles work and why muscle health can reduce aches and pains.
We all want to be healthy for as long as possible right? Your muscle health is a massive contributor to your body’s longevity and your overall quality of life.
How muscles work
We have around 600 muscles in our body. They work hard to:
- Support and hold up our body.
- Control movement in conjunction with our nerve signals.
- Helps pump blood around the body.
- Assist with the digestion of food.
- Drive the movement of our lymphatic system, which is our immune/clean/detox system.
- Facilitate breathing using the diaphragm and surrounding muscles
3 different kinds of muscles make up around 600 in our body.
Skeletal muscles are connected to our bones by tough bands of tissue called tendons. Smooth muscles work inside our digestive system to move food along and push waste out of our bodies. They also help keep our eyes focused. The cardiac muscle is our heart. It’s a specialised type of involuntary muscle that pumps blood through the body, and changes speed to keep up with the demands we put on it.
Bad posture
Do you work in an office, slumped over a computer screen, or from home at a dining table?
Working on a computer tends to repetitively squeeze all the muscles at the front of our body. The long-term effect is constant contraction of the chest and front shoulder muscles. The pulling on our shoulder joints makes them roll forward. This, in turn, causes pain in both the front and back of the upper body.
You’ll also find the neck is usually impacted. Tension in the upper traps and neck muscles is a likely source of tension headaches and neck pain. See how everything has a domino effect?
Unfortunately, our teenagers today, on their devices, have the worst posture of all. Curled up on the lounge or their beds, in the most awkward positions, looking down at their devices for hours at a time.
Leaning stance of motherhood
Mums, do you, or did you, carry your babies on one hip? This is what I call the leaning stance.
During pregnancy, our hips are chemically designed to relax the muscles and loosen the joints. Then, after childbirth, our muscles take some time after birth to tighten back up into place. Mums with multiple children under the age of 5, who tend to carry children on their hip for extended periods of time, will be able to relate to the effect of the leaning stance.
How does your lower back and hips feel today?
Excluding babies, what about your groceries, handbags that weigh a tonne, or anything heavy for that matter? I bet you always carry them using the same arm? This counts as another repetitive lean.
Long-term effects for men
With men, some take good care of their bodies, but for the vast majority, men are notorious for not looking after themselves. It’s important for men to be aware of what can cause skeletal or joint misalignment in what they do at work, at home, or in everyday activities.
Repetitive movement in general sport, twisting, labour-intensive work in a compromised position, can all put tremendous strain on our core structure. Everything holding us up must adjust to balance, support, and protect.
Over time, you could face life with a bad back or grinding pain in your knees and hips. You’ll feel the wear and tear on your cartilage as well, plus the shortening of muscles when adjusting, just to name a few.
Associated problems
Unfortunately, the long-term effects of structural change or overstretching opposing muscles can include problems such as:
- Postural imbalances
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Immobility
- Structural skeletal imbalances and misalignment
- Joint misalignment
- Joint pain and deterioration
- Long-term bone degeneration
- Muscle weakness and deterioration
- Nerve pain due to impingements or tight muscles pressing on the nerve junctions
- Numbness and tingling
- Reduced energy and motivation
- Compromised mental health
How remedial massage helps
We’re all busy and find it hard to find time for ourselves. Let’s face it, we often don’t have the energy to think about what we need to do. However, regular remedial massage will set you on the right path to good muscle health and recovery.
The key benefit of remedial massage is that it will speed up the body’s natural healing process. Treating knots, damaged or tense muscles will stimulate blood flow. The body will start to repair damaged tissue, and joints will also become more mobile.
Get active
With movement and endurance, we get stronger, more oxygenised, and potentially bigger muscles, yeah! Without activity, however, our muscles become weaker and smaller.
Beneficial exercise includes walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, aqua exercise, playing sports, climbing stairs, getting outside with the kids, and joining in on their play. One of the best types of exercise for muscles is lifting weights. It doesn’t have to be ridiculously heavy, just enough to raise your heart rate and exert your breathing. You can also get physical with your housework, that counts too.
Start muscle therapy today
Remember, keeping your muscles healthy will help you have more fun and enjoy the things you do. Healthy muscles will help you look your best and feel full of energy. Start good habits now, and you’ll have a better chance of keeping your muscles as healthy as possible for the rest of your life.
Contributor:
Sal Petrassi Lympth & Muscle Centre | Taking care of your Body
Phone: 0438 487 799
E: salpetrassimt@gmail.com
