Rubber Bands and the Siren’s Song: Chronic stretching part 4
This is the final of a 4-part series on chronic stretching. Part one discussed chronic stretching as a sign of an underlying dysfunction (root cause) leading to a sense of muscle tension (symptom) that can be temporarily alleviated by stretching. Part two explored the difference between neurogenically short and adaptively short muscles and how each must be addressed differently if true gains are to be made. Part three discussed the mechanism and implication of neurogenically short muscles. In this post we will explore when a muscle is tight and long.
Our bodies have receptors, think sensors, for all types of stimuli such as temperature, pressure, taste, etc. These sensors are always communicating to our brain, which has set-points for what is normal, acceptable, and often therefore ignored. For example, when wearing a comfortable pair of pants you are likely unaware of their pressure on your legs most of the time. The same is true for the tension/length sensors of our muscles. When muscle tension is within a relatively normal and acceptable range, our brain ignores those messages.
As we go through life these set-points change. For example, when Spokane hit 109-degrees this past June, a 70-degree office building felt cold. However, come February, that same 70-degree office building will likely be a warming relief. The range of tension/length that is deemed “normal” by our brain is subject to gradual change. However, there is a limit to what is “acceptable” based on muscle architecture.
Thus, if chronic, dysfunctional posture slowly stretches a muscle, such as a large muscle connecting your neck and shoulders, you are not likely to notice until its length reaches the architecturally unacceptable range. At that point, it’s already a problem. Not only that, but trying to shorten your set-point to a structurally acceptable range takes time - just as changing it to a structurally unacceptable length did.
As implied above, a muscle can feel tight in the same way that a rubber band gets tight when stretched. In fact, this may seem to you the most logical explanation of why a muscle feels tight… but this begs the question, “Why would we stretch something that is already too long?” On the surface, the answer is quite easy - it feels better afterward… at least for a while. Unfortunately, giving into this siren’s song comes at a price.
Before we dive into the price, let’s look at the how. How does stretching a tight and long muscle make it feel less tight? To answer this question we should reflect back on an earlier statement: The range of tension/length that is deemed “normal” by our brain is subject to gradual change. If change is applied more rapidly (actively stretching), but not too quickly (a reflex hammer to the patellar tendon), the body will subconsciously turn down the tone in that muscle group (learn more here). This overrides the sensor alarm telling us the muscle is in an unacceptably long state and allows the muscle to relax to an even greater length - which is the problem that first triggered the sense of tension. Benefit: the annoying sense of tension is gone. Cost: you just made the problem worse. Not only did you make the problem worse, but as a muscle reaches its maximum length, it’s ability to generate force decreases, making it weaker. This might not seem too alarming until we look at the body with a Biotensegrity perspective.
At rest, and with activity, our body is a collection of tug-of-wars taking place around ridged, compression-resistant structures (more info here). Often, a muscle becomes tight and long from losing its tug-of-war. For example, if your Latissimus Dorsi and/or Pectoral muscles are winning the tug-of-war against your Trapezius, its fibers will become tight, long, and painful (typically in your neck and/or between your shoulder blade and spine). When you then stretch your Trapezius muscle to alleviate the sense of tension, you encourage it to sink further into an already over-lengthened state. This causes it to be functionally weaker - meaning it starts losing the tug-of-war at an accelerated pace!
However, our bodies are brilliant at staving off disaster! In order to reduce the pull on the Trapezius muscle your body will come up with ways to bring the two ends of this overly-stretched muscle together by bringing the back of your head closer to your shoulders. Of course, this is only kicking the proverbial can down the road. This compensation pattern may alleviate some of the tension, but now the nerves in your neck have less room and muscles at the base of your skull are set-up to adaptively shorten (remember this from Part 2?). These compensations can lead to numbness, tingling, and/or pain in the arm(s) and/or neck as well as frequent headaches and a Dowager’s hump at the base of your neck. Remember, those of you who have read The Odyssey, the siren’s song is lovely and alluring, but comes with a cost for those who pursue it.
If this post has you down-in-the-dumps, fear not. There is hope! Through my career I have helped several people understand and successfully address this pattern of dysfunction. In fact, this very pattern inspired one of my earlier blog posts titled: “You Mean… It’s That Simple?”
If you want to learn more about stretching, your body, or how to get the most out of life, I hope you’ll reach out. After all, helping you live life to its fullest is what I am most passionate about. “This is What We’re All About.”