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Why isn't my muscle stiffness going away???!!!
I'm normally very active and have been for my entire life, I do heavy weight lifting and also have some injuries (ruptured discs in lower back, tailbone pain, and obvious anterior pelvic tilt).
All of my muscles are very stiff and inflexible and are very tight and sore deep in the muscle. I sometimes feel spasms all over in my muscles.
I've been doing yoga, stretching and foam rolling and deep tissue massage daily, and while sometimes I can gain flexibility, it's always gone by the next day and I'm back to being stiff and sore like usual.
I just recently had IMS therapy done (the physio suick needles into my lower back muscles) and it made things so much worse and ever since my quad muscles have been so tight they feel contracted and I can't release them even while I'm sleeping.
Today I woke up and felt fine, went for a quick EASY bike ride and then sat down afterwards, and when I stood up it felt like my quad muscles had turned to bricks and the back pain came back suddenly, my legs were so tight and fatigued that I could barely walk!
I just have no idea what's going on.
I've recently tried drinking electrolyte powder thinking my stiffness and spasms were caused by lack of electrolytes, but that is not helping!
The tightness in my quads does not feel right, it feels like a tingly kind of tightness and I felt some sharper pains in the quadriceps muscle closer to my hips while I was trying to walk with them when they were very weak and tight.
From what I guess, maybe my quads have been causing my lower back pain this whole time, which makes sense because I do have anterior pelvic tilt, but I still don't understand why all the stretching and foam rolling is not making any improvement at all. Last night I was able to stretch out my hips more than usual, but today I'm just as stiff as ever, again and I haven't even done anything to cause muscle stiffness! It seems every time I walk or use my quad muscles now, (ever since I got the IMS therapy done) it's just causing a lot of stiffness and pain in my back and legs.
All of my muscles are very stiff and inflexible and are very tight and sore deep in the muscle. I sometimes feel spasms all over in my muscles.
I've been doing yoga, stretching and foam rolling and deep tissue massage daily, and while sometimes I can gain flexibility, it's always gone by the next day and I'm back to being stiff and sore like usual.
I just recently had IMS therapy done (the physio suick needles into my lower back muscles) and it made things so much worse and ever since my quad muscles have been so tight they feel contracted and I can't release them even while I'm sleeping.
Today I woke up and felt fine, went for a quick EASY bike ride and then sat down afterwards, and when I stood up it felt like my quad muscles had turned to bricks and the back pain came back suddenly, my legs were so tight and fatigued that I could barely walk!
I just have no idea what's going on.
I've recently tried drinking electrolyte powder thinking my stiffness and spasms were caused by lack of electrolytes, but that is not helping!
The tightness in my quads does not feel right, it feels like a tingly kind of tightness and I felt some sharper pains in the quadriceps muscle closer to my hips while I was trying to walk with them when they were very weak and tight.
From what I guess, maybe my quads have been causing my lower back pain this whole time, which makes sense because I do have anterior pelvic tilt, but I still don't understand why all the stretching and foam rolling is not making any improvement at all. Last night I was able to stretch out my hips more than usual, but today I'm just as stiff as ever, again and I haven't even done anything to cause muscle stiffness! It seems every time I walk or use my quad muscles now, (ever since I got the IMS therapy done) it's just causing a lot of stiffness and pain in my back and legs.
Best Answer
How long do you stretch for? Generally I stretch for at least 20 minutes after doing weights, most of the time longer and that seems to help. Sometimes foam rollers can be a bit too harsh, try massage balls (you can get them from Amazon for like £8). With those you can get deeper into the muscle, especially in your thighs, lowers back and shoulder blades. When you stretch, you need to hold it for at least 30 seconds before your flexibility can improve, if you also breath and relax into the stretch, that might help relieve some of the tension rather that forcing the muscle to go where you want it too. I hope this helps :)
Try rest and a water work out. Over 90% of healing occurs during rest Walking, swimming, and running in a pool should keep those legs cool and hydrated.
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A thyroid condition could be a cause or kidney condition just to name a few. That being said try the following.
Muscles are at their most elastic when warm. Before doing any therapy, make sure your muscle tissue is warm! A hot bath or shower, or several minutes in a hot sauna. Apply therapy immediately after, before the muscle tissue cools off. To stretch or foam roll begin with warm muscles. Stretch all the muscles that work at your various joints, not just the ones that feel tight. An example, if you stretch your hamstrings, make sure to also stretch your quadriceps and gluteal muscles, and your inner and outer thighs. Stretching is most effective when you hold your muscle at its longest length for 15 seconds to one minute or longer. Relax into your stretch, and do not bounce. Yoga is an effective practice for maximally stretching the muscles throughout your body. For best results, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends you stretch all your major muscle groups at least twice per week.
Make sure to stretch all major groups AFTER warming up for five to 10 minutes. Incorporate stretching-focused activities such as yoga and tai chi in your weekly exercise routine to loosen up even more.