I’m hypermobile but my body feels stiff and tight too! What’s going on?
Chronic muscle tension in hypermobile bodies is very common. Perhaps you have a tight neck or shoulders, or you’re always giving your calves an extra bit of massage time. I know I have!
There are a few reasons that muscle tension with hypermobility might occur:
A protective mechanism by the brain for joint stability
A result of anxiety due to symptoms of chronic illness such as hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)
An adaptation to lack of muscle movement due to a requirement to stay in one position for long periods of time
Your Brain is Protecting Your Joint Stability
Your brain and nervous system are buddies working together to keep you safe. Which is great…until it’s not. If your joints tend to sublux or dislocate frequently then your brain gets in the habit of tightening the muscles around the joint since the connective tissue isn’t working at full capacity. And then when you’re trying to relax the muscles around the joint, the brain’s like “Nope, I got this. We’re going to stay stable and tight no matter what!”
Chronic Anxiety Can Lead to Muscle Tension
As your level of anxiety rises (for whatever reason!), have you ever felt your shoulders rise as well? Our emotions are absolutely reflected in our bodies. Often the shoulders and neck muscles get tight with anxiety. Of course where you feel anxiety in your body depends on the person - for some people it can be their chest, belly, back - it can be anywhere really.
Staying in One Position for a Long Period of Time
Your body and brain as so adaptable! If you tend to stay still in a certain position for long periods of time, your brain figures out the best way to support you in that. For example, sitting at the computer, bed rest, standing and washing dishes, watching tv
Holding one position often means contracting or tightening muscles for longer periods of time that those muscles are meant to be contracted. And then when you’re ready to change positions, the brain might be a little slower to adapt, and you’ll get a feeling of stiffness or tightness.
Muscle Tension Relief for Hypermobility
There are a few ways that we can change our patterns of movement and communicate with the brain to give it better strategies to support us:
Using breath as a tool for relaxation and then encouraging muscle movement in that relaxed state
Movement practices or other practices to reduce anxiety
Reminders to move more frequently - maybe using a fitness watch or post-it notes or setting a reminder on your phone
Learning about our personal movement patterns and identifying changes we can make to improve the movement
Want to learn more about relieving chronic muscle tension?
Book a Discovery Call with me and let’s chat about how I can help you move and feel better!
