Muscle contracture occurs when, as its name suggests, a muscle and its fibers contract continuously and involuntarily. This causes pain and prevents you from moving it normally.
And you may ask, why does it cause pain? When this happens in the muscle, the blood cannot reach the muscle cells and toxins begin to accumulate, causing the muscle nerves to send pain signals to our brain.
The causes of muscle contractures are varied, but among the most common are: having played sports inappropriately or after a serious injury.
Likewise, there are several types of muscle contractures but the most common are those in the cervical area and in the back.
This injury is not very serious but it conditions the daily life of the sufferer as he/she feels pain.
Causes of muscle contracture
As we have mentioned, the causes of a muscular contracture are varied, the most frequent being those related to poor physical exercise. Below, we will explain the most repeated ones in our clinic:
Sport: The exercises where there is usually a greater risk of muscle contracture are those of impact, ballistic action and those of the lower body.
Sedentary lifestyle: Sedentary lifestyle is a cause of the appearance of contractures, since the muscles are not used to making an effort and everything they do is beyond them.
Static posture: This cause is closely related to the previous one. A continuous time in the same posture, for example, in an office job, can cause contractures.
Advanced age: The muscles of older people are less elastic and this makes them prone to contractures.
Stress: In this situation, the person is in constant tension, which causes their muscles to contract.
Dehydration: Lack of water as well as other components such as magnesium, potassium or glucose increase the chances of contracture since muscle cells need these substances for proper functioning.
Types of contractures
The types of contractures are linked to how they are produced and we can distinguish between:
Adhesion: It is produced by the lack of movement. Your body is asking you to exercise to function better.
Scar tissue adhesion: It is also linked to the lack of movement but this time, a scar is formed that limits your mobility.
Myostatic contracture: It is produced by a sudden movement but the pain is momentary and is very easy to cure.
Irreversible contracture: This contracture occurs when the muscle, soft and connective tissues are replaced by bone.
Pseudomyostatic contracture: This contracture is caused by the central nervous system.
Treatment of a muscular contracture
There are several ways to treat a muscle contracture but we always advise you to have it treated by a professional physiotherapist.
Manual Therapy: Through massage, stretching, muscle inhibition.
Dry needling: Therapy through which an acupuncture needle works the muscle myofibrils and target tissue causing a Local Stimulus Response (REL) and inhibiting the affected muscles.
Intermittent Vacuum Therapy: Physium System performs muscle and vascular pumping relaxing the affected tissue.
Percutaneous Neuromodulation: placing needles in the path of the nerve affected by the contracture and applying an analgesic current to the needles, causing instant relaxation.
Ultrasound
High power laser
Balanced diet: Increase of potassium in the person's diet.
Laser therapy
Application of acupuncture
Physium
Electrotherapy
Autor: ADMINISTRADOR
August 04, 2023
