I just put that subject there to get people’s attention. If I put my real subject no one would view this and then I would get an answer.
I have a real problem with tightness in my muscles and I can’t seem to get it under control. I have tried doing stretches three times a day and two massages a week but I am still very tight. Not stiff, like post workout but with no flexibility.
My job requires me to sit all day at a computer for about 11 - 12 hours with no significant breaks.
Does any one have any ideas? I think it is real impacting my technique and speed. Thanks.
Get a set of PC’s or RC’s for your bike they will certainly loosen your finger muscles with all the typing you’ll have to do to justify it.
On a serious note I think you can find various articles on the web about flexibility do you stretch immediately before and after exercising. Sitting in a chair all day tightens me up also especially after a hard run/bike morning workout, I normally remedy this by a noon swim.
Otherwise unexplainable stiffness - especially if it is unresponsive to a good stretching program - often accompanies an imbalance in pH (excessive acidity). Stop at your local pharmacy, and get some pH test strips. Check your urinary pH at bedtime and upon rising. Should be 6.5 or higher. I’m guessing you’ll find 5.5 or lower in the morning, but I could be wrong…
Holding your pH at a higher (more neutral, don’t go over 7.0) number will help you retain minerals, nutrients and anti-oxidants as well, and will even slow some of the effects of aging, such as wrinkles, hair loss, etc.
As a physio I sometimes/often see people where there flexibility is limited by neural mobility. Neural mobility is the ability of the nerves in your body to slide through all the other soft tissues of your limbs (fat, muscle, fascia). Normal stretching will not improve neural mobility because nerves don’t stretch but instead have a fixed length like an extension cord. One technique used to improve neural mobility requires you to “floss” or “slide” your nerves through the other soft tissues. Unfortunately this is very hard to describe and so I won’t.
One suggestion woud be to see a physiotherapist/physical therapist and have them assess your flexibility. Ask them to tell you if it is limited by muscule/fascial tightness or neural immobility. They can demo and apply stretches for both situations. If it turns out to be muscle/fascial in origin then they can do assisted stretching with you that can be more effective than stretching on your own.
A second suggestion would be to see a physio or chiro or massage therapist who is trained in Active Release Techiques. I have started using this technique for the last 6 months and find it can be very effective at increasing both muscle/fascial mobility and neural mobility. After having this treatment done you may find your response to you stretching progam improves significantly.