| Muscular Symptoms of Stress |
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If no action occurs, muscle tension may remain. You adopt an "on guard" posture that lasts as long as you feel threatened: shoulders up, arms slightly forward. Waiting for the "pain in the neck" supervisor's evaluation may bring on a knot in your upper back. The frown from worrying about your taxes may create a tension headache. Stress also contributes to inattention to your body's signals, increasing the likelihood that you will sit, stand, or move in ways that strain your muscles. Most people under stress are less likely to continue their exercise program, leaving the muscles vulnerable to strain when called upon for strenuous effort. The skeletal muscular system is comprised of more than four hundred separate muscles; it accounts for more than 40 percent of body weight. Any one of these muscles can become overly fatigued, injured, or develop spasms. Muscle fibers are designed to tense and then relax. A muscle can go through this tense/relax cycle indefinitely. As you walk, one set of muscles tenses while the opposing set of muscles relaxes. However, a muscle under sustained tension without an alternating relaxation phase eventually develops spasm and pain. Sustained tension from emotional stress, poor posture, or certain repetitive movements do not allow this relaxed phase to occur. Unrelieved muscle tension leads to tension headaches, back pain, and TMJ, temporo-mandibular joint (jaw pain). Chronic muscle tension pulls on the muscle's tendon, and can lead to pain where the tendon is attached to the bone. Chronic tension on a joint or tendon can pull the body out of balance, creating new pains. This may also cause an inflammation of the tendons, resulting in the painful condition called tendinitis. Chronic muscle tension can result in a deterioration in muscle health, strength, and conditioning. When weakened muscles are pushed beyond their physical limits, they spasm, which we experience as cramps in large muscles. Conditioning and relaxation can reduce muscular symptoms of stress. Strong, healthy, well-conditioned muscles tolerate much more tension than weak, poorly-conditioned ones. Muscles need nourishment, exercise, and rest if they are to work without complaint. If you suffer muscular symptoms only occasionally, an anti-inflammatory pain killer such as aspirin may be your best solution. If they occur regularly, however, reduce your level of muscle tension with relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, or progressive muscle relaxation. Remember that stress is additive. There may be factors other than stress which contribute to chronic muscle tension. Incorrect posture and repetitive motions alone or in combination with emotional tensions can push you over the pain threshold. Click on other stress symptoms you may have experienced to learn more about what you can do about them as well.
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Almost everybody has experience with muscular aches and pains. A slip on the ice pulls a muscle in your back. You exercise too strenuously after a sedentary week and are bothered by stiffness the next two days. The repetitive motions from long periods of typing or painting the ceiling leave you with a sore shoulder. Overexertion can cause muscle pain. So can stress. Increased muscle tension is an important part of the "fight or flight" stress reaction to demand and pressure. Noradrenaline from the sympathetic nervous system alerts the muscles to tense up in preparation for action. Tense muscles get set to act quickly in response to threat or danger. You move faster and have greater strength during an emergency because of this extra boost.