Emotions of Muscles: Musculoskeletal Injuries

Remember your first day of working out, or a long weekend away at a sports camp, or being 33 and sleeping in a funky position (yeah, me too), then you know all too well how unenjoyable a sore, beaten down body can feel. Muscle cramps, muscle spasms, muscle guarding and muscle soreness are other forms of muscle injuries that our bodies can experience. Let me break these down a little more for you: 

1. Muscle cramps: the involuntary contraction of a voluntary muscle
2. Muscle spasm- a reflex reaction caused by trauma
3. Muscle Guarding- a muscle contraction in response to pain and injury in an area as an attempt to splint or self-protect the area. 
4. Muscle Soreness- pain caused by overexertion in exercise, typically caused by an activity to which the athlete is unaccustomed to. 

General muscle soreness is the probably the most common injury I see on the table, but very typical to be blended with spasms, cramps, and guarding. There are two types of muscle soreness: acute-onset muscle and exercise-induced muscle soreness (DOMS). Acute-muscle soreness is typically partnered with fatigue. DOMS or exercise-induced soreness usually shows face 12 hours after exercise and peaks 24-48 hours later, with inflammation. 

Even though you can't prevent muscle soreness, you can manage it with regular bodywork, proper warmups and cool downs, stretching, hydration, nutrition, and the king aka SLEEP. To make massage and bodywork part of your monthly routine, please email or call today to schedule your first or next session!

Live Well, 

Sara

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