Chronic tight muscles? This may be your solution. With our focus on structural correction, massage therapy is not a service that we provide in our office. Many of our patients ask why, and the answer is relatively straightforward – our goal is try and dig deeper into why a tight muscle may be present. After all, the body does not expend energy unless necessary. For example, if you walked outside into the dead of a Michigan winter (which apparently includes the middle of April) with shorts and a tank top on, what would your body do? It would probably shiver. Why does the body shiver? It shivers because the body has an internal protective mechanism to keep your organs warm and does so by activating muscles to gyrate the body to warm it up. If your organs freeze, they probably won’t work very well. Now, does your body shiver when sitting in an 80-degree room? No of course it doesn’t. That would be a massive waste of energy and an indicator of an underlying issue. Musculature works in a similar fashion. Obviously, muscles must fire in order to move, but at rest certain muscles should be inactive, not consistently tight (knotted up shoulders, I am speaking to you!). If they are overactive without movement, just like if you are shivering in an 80-degree room, there is probably a reason why. It takes an immense amount of energy to keep a muscle tightened, especially chronically. Wondering why you’re grabbing for coffee at 2pm every day? Maybe your musculature is firing over and over and wasting an insurmountable amount of energy. Hello “chronic fatigue syndrome”. Now we are realistic that muscle work has a time and place and there is a huge difference between very skilled practitioners and those that aren’t. Stressed at work and feeling tense? Overusing muscles in the gym? Pull something overreaching? Massage therapy may be a great quick fix solution. We are more speaking to those constantly needing muscle work to “get by”.

Our focus in practice usually directs our case management to look at a foundational nature behind someone’s pain or dysfunction. This is akin to a house furnished with drapes. If the supports beams (the structure of the spine) is not level or centered, then the drapes attached to the foundation of the house (the musculature attached to the foundation) cannot be symmetrical and will, as a result, lay in an abnormal fashion. This type of asymmetry in the body front to back or side to side can lead to several secondary issues, chronically tight musculature being a very common one.

The focus with our patients is to look at musculoskeletal issues from this approach. By addressing the structural issue(s), our patients typically no longer find a need for continual muscle rubbing and if they do, it is by choice for an enjoyable experience and not out of necessity. As such we make sure to pair them with our network of skilled massage therapists we work with in the community.

More questions on our approach? Click “Contact Us” above to submit an online inquiry for a complimentary consultation at Apex Chiropractic located in Shelby Township so that we can see if we can help with your tight musculature or simply call us at (586) 991-1505.