| As people age, they begin to complain more of pains | | | | binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and |
| in their muscles and joints. They seem to stiffen up | | | | unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, |
| with age, and such commonplace activities as bending | | | | the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less |
| over for the morning paper can make them wince. | | | | extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed |
| Such discomfort can grip so fiercely that they are | | | | fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest |
| sure it begins deep in their bones. But the real cause | | | | are the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to |
| of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or | | | | improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing |
| bones, according to research at the Johns Hopkins | | | | undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle |
| Medical School, but in the muscles and connective | | | | fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve |
| tissues that move the joints. | | | | impulses traveling along these pressured pathways. |
| The frictional resistance generated by the two | | | | 3. Immobility |
| rubbing surfaces of bones in the joints is negligible, | | | | Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, |
| even in joints damaged by arthritis. | | | | owing to the body's reaction to a cramp or ache. In |
| Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the | | | | this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body |
| range of a joint's motion from full movement in one | | | | automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it |
| direction to full movement in the other. The greater | | | | contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious |
| the range of movement, the more flexible the joint. | | | | cycle pain. |
| If you bend forward at the hips and touch your toes | | | | First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise |
| with your fingertips, you have good flexibility, or | | | | or being held in an unusual position. The body then |
| range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend | | | | responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the |
| over easily with a minimal expenditure of energy and | | | | connective tissue around the muscle. This cause |
| force? The exertion required to flex a joint is just as | | | | more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. |
| important as its range of possible motion. | | | | One of the most common sites for this problem is |
| Different factors limit the flexibility and ease of | | | | the lower back. |
| movement in different joints and muscles. In the | | | | 4. Spasm theory |
| elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a | | | | In the physiology laboratory at the University of |
| definite limit. In other joints, such as the ankle, hip, | | | | Southern California, some people have set out to |
| and back, the soft tissue-muscle and connective | | | | learn more about this cycle of pain. |
| tissue-limit the motion range. | | | | Using some device, they measured electrical activity |
| The problem of inflexible joints and muscles is similar | | | | in the muscles. The researchers knew that normal, |
| to the difficulty of opening and closing a gate | | | | well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical activity, |
| because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has | | | | whereas, muscles that are not fully relaxed show |
| become balky. | | | | considerable activity. |
| Hence, if people do not regularly move their muscles | | | | In one experiment, the researchers measured these |
| and joints through their full ranges of motion, they | | | | electrical signals in the muscles of persons with |
| lose some of their potential. That is why when these | | | | athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized, and |
| people will try to move a joint after a long period of | | | | then, after the muscle had been stretched. |
| inactivity, they feel pain, and that discourages further | | | | In almost every case, exercises that stretched or |
| use | | | | lengthened the muscle diminished electrical activity |
| What happens next is that the muscles become | | | | and relieved pain, either totally or partially. |
| shortened with prolonged disuse and produces | | | | These experiments led to the "spasm theory," an |
| spasms and cramps that can be irritating and | | | | explanation of the development and persistence of |
| extremely painful. The immobilization of muscles, as | | | | muscle pain in the absence of any obvious cause, |
| researchers have demonstrated with laboratory | | | | such as traumatic injury. |
| animals, brings about biochemical changes in the | | | | According to this theory, a muscle that is |
| tissue. | | | | overworked or used in a strange position becomes |
| However, other factors trigger sore muscles. Here | | | | fatigued and as a result, sore muscles. |
| are some of them: | | | | Hence, it is extremely important to know the |
| 1. Too much exercise | | | | limitations and capacity of the muscles in order to |
| Have you always believed on the saying, "No pain, no | | | | avoid sore muscles. This goes to show that there is |
| gain?" If you do, then, it is not so surprising if you | | | | no truth in the saying, "No pain, no gain." What |
| have already experienced sore muscles. | | | | matters most is on how people stay fit by exercising |
| The problem with most people is that they exercise | | | | regularly at a normal range than once rarely but on a |
| too much thinking that it is the fastest and the | | | | rigid routine. |
| surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend | | | | That is why it is important to build muscle and do it in |
| to ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even | | | | an educated way to avoid muscle stiffness and |
| though they are what quite literally holds the body | | | | discomfort while working out. Check out our link in |
| together. | | | | the resource box for a scientific way to build muscle |
| 2. Aging and inactivity | | | | without the stiffness. |
| Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, | | | | |