How Tension Causes Pain

I see many people, myself included, who habitually and subconsciously tense their muscles throughout the day. This chronic tension leads to imbalance, injury, and pain. Chronically tight muscles pull bones, joints, and fascia out of place.

Ive had minor back pain over the years, mostly as a result of overworking certain areas and under-working others, but also from subconsciously holding tension in my body. So Ive used my body as a guinea pig to test practices and methods, and then shared them with fitness and yoga clients. Ive found that one of the most effective strategies for reducing tension is the practice of breath work. Youll find a guided practice below.

Maintaining adequate space between bones and soft tissue is important. When the spaces become compressed, friction occurs and pain develops. If bones are rubbing on tendons or other soft tissues, this can result in inflammation, unnecessary wear-and-tear, and pain.

Too close spacing and misalignment also cause nerves to become impinged. Thus further increasing the potential for pain.

So if someone is already experiencing pain from another cause, this tension in the body can cause more pain.

This is one of the many reasons relaxation and stretching are so important. Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and yoga, enable us to let go of tension. Regular stretching elongates the muscles so they do not pull the skeleton out of alignment.

It is not unusual after an injury or accident for chronic tensing to continue long after the tissues are considered healed. Training oneself to relax is critical to good posture and back health.

Also, when one area of tissue has been damaged, the rest of the body will try to compensate, and the body will end up being held in the compensatory position. Bones and joints are thus held in unnatural, limited, and compressed relationships.

You can learn to retrain your body to hold itself properly, relax where necessary, and only contract (or tense) when necessary. You can also learn to retrain your nervous system to relax and calm down rather than staying wound up. Through deep breathing, your nervous system stands down and stops creating the state of stress that can contribute to increased pain sensations and tension.

TO REDUCE TENSION IN THE BODY, TRY THIS BREATHING TECHNIQUE:

It is best to practice this lying down.

• Begin with some easy slow breaths.
• Let your body decompress and settle into the support beneath you.
• Let your awareness move around your bodynotice where you are feeling tense, or sore, or tight. Notice where you are feeling loose, and open, and spacious.
• Bring your awareness back to the area with the most tension.
• Gently breathe into that part of your body.
• As you inhale feel the tissues gently expand.
• As you exhale feel them soften and release.
• Continue breathing this way into that spot until the tension dissipates then move onto another spot.

This practice can be done daily or a few times a week or whenever you are feeling tension or pain.

I hope this helps you release some tension. By improving the mind-body connection, we build awareness of imbalances, tension areas, and poor alignment, and then we are able to make corrections that can minimize problems.

Excerpt from The Posture Project: Build a Better Back. Live the Life You Want. Video training program plus one-to-one help to reduce back pain, build core strength, and feel better. For more info: http://www.bountifulyogaandwellness.com/the-posture-project/