Bartsok course against pain and tension
We consider in detail different ways relaxation exercises designed to relieve muscle tension and sensations of muscle pain. You can also relieve muscle tension and muscle pain with special biologically active texts, as well as guided audio recordings (links at the bottom of the page).
Feeling of warmth.
Most known method Relieving muscle tension and muscle pain consists of warming the desired area of the body. For example, using a pepper patch, a hot compress or burning ointments.
However, this is poorly applicable for relaxing deep-lying or large muscles. Steam baths or hot showers are widely used. But you won't use them in the office. If your muscles are sore or overly tense, try warming the tense area mentally. If you practice a little, the feeling of warmth, and with it relaxation, will come quickly. This means that you can quickly relieve muscle tension and muscle pain without using anything other than your own thoughts and memory.
It's hard to remember something you've never done. But, if you have already applied a pepper patch, a hot compress or a suitable ointment to the site of muscle pain, and this brought you relief, a feeling of spreading warmth, and the cessation of pain with it will remain in your memory. You don't have to be a psychic to remember your own sensations. But you need to try to remember these sensations as vividly as you can. This is the only way to relieve muscle pain. The first time you have to rummage through your memory, the next time it will take moments.
If your muscles hurt now, clearly imagine the warmth in the place where the muscles hurt, and when you really feel it, increase it until it feels very hot, feel how it expands, capturing neighboring areas. And your pain will dissolve in this warmth. You will be able to relieve muscle pain, because the muscles will relax, having received a signal to relax from nervous system. Using the image of heat to convey the command, your mind will give such an order to the nervous system.
If your muscles hurt, to relieve muscle pain, read the biologically active text “Sun Warmth”. Using your memory and your mind, reading the text will do the same thing, but teach you how to relieve muscle pain faster.
Exhale through the sore spot.
This method of relieving muscle tension and muscle pain is promoted, for example, by Guy Hendricks. Imagine that the air you exhale is directed out not through your nose, but through the place where your muscles hurt or where you feel strong muscle tension.
When we fill the lungs with air, the muscles contract and push the ribs apart, increasing the volume of the chest cavity (thoracic breathing) or the muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavity - the diaphragm - tenses and lowers, and the volume of the chest cavity increases because of this (abdominal breathing). The flow of inhaled air puts pressure on the ribs and diaphragm, and this pressure is transmitted to neighboring areas, and from them to the next. And thus, vibrations from inhalation, elastic waves, spread throughout the body. And, if we want, we can feel the slight vibration associated with breathing at any point in our body. Or trace the movement (propagation of vibrations) to the place we need. And, in the same way, we can feel the reverse movement simultaneously with the exhalation.
Exhalation is mainly associated with muscle relaxation, so you can relieve muscle tension in the place you need by observing the exhalation and mentally directing it through the tense area. And with relaxation, muscle pain will disappear. If you cannot immediately relieve muscle tension by exhaling in the right place, try first to get a feeling of warmth and relaxation by mentally directing your exhalation to the places closest to your nose - in the cheek, neck, then shoulder and arm. And only then direct your mental exhalation through the area of tension or pain. Try to maintain calm, continuous breathing. Perhaps with a slightly longer exhalation. The exhalation should roll over the place where the muscles hurt, with each breathing cycle, until the desired effect is achieved. Relaxing the muscles will cause increased blood flow, so you should feel warm where the exhalation is directed.
If you find it difficult to independently master this relaxation technique, relieve muscle tension with the help of the biologically active text Elastic Waves or the audio recording “Relieve fatigue by breathing.”
Warm wave or envelopment.
The two methods described above can be combined. If your muscles stop hurting after a hot shower, you may remember how your body felt under the shower. Remember the sensations when warmth spreads throughout the body from top to bottom from the back of the head, neck, shoulders, back and legs. And from top to bottom your muscles will relax. Take your time, gradually push down the tension, dissolve in warmth and relieve muscle tension and pain.
You can also use your breathing to reproduce the effect of a warm wave descending from the back of your head down your back, imagining that you are exhaling through the crown of your head (top of the back of your head).
And, if you love saunas, remember how muscle tension goes away in a sauna, how muscle pain is relieved. Remembering these sensations, envelop your body with mental warmth or the warm air of your exhalation.
Biologically active texts “Musical shower” or “In the Russian bathhouse”, audio recording “In the Russian pine bathhouse” will help you restore these sensations
Relieve muscle tension and muscle pain through movement.
When you feel muscle pain, the muscles are compressed and are not able to participate in normal movement, that is, smoothly contract and relax. This means that by making the movement smoother, you return your muscles to their elasticity, and contracted muscles can gradually regain their ability to relax. In this way, you can relieve both muscle tension and muscle pain.
If your muscles are overly tense or sore right now, think about what movements you can do to give your body the pleasure of relaxation.
Start with slow movements, squeezing and relaxing the muscles. The amplitude of movement should initially be very small. This is similar to the swinging of a pendulum, so such movements can be called pendulum. If the movement is slow enough and small in amplitude, you are more likely to notice interruptions in the smoothness of movement (jerks) in places of tension and be able to remove them. Gradually, the amplitude of oscillations can be increased, naturally, provided that the smoothness of the movements is maintained. It is better to combine the movement with breathing, relaxing the muscles as you exhale and smoothly contracting them as you inhale.
To relieve severe muscle pain, start with mental movements. If you clearly imagine the location of the pain and the movement you need, and make the movements mentally, your nervous system will tune in to the movement and send appropriate impulses to the muscles. There will be movement, but very little. Achieve the pendulum-like smoothness of this micro-movement, and only then move on to real movements until you completely overcome muscle pain.
As an example of using micromovements to relieve pain, you can listen to the audio text “Eliminating toothache.”
Massage
A good massage can also relieve muscle pain and tension. If you have ever been to a great massage therapist, after whose session you almost flew, try to remember in detail and consistently the sensations you received during the massage. You need to remember in such a way that real sensations appear.
The easiest way is probably to remember and feel a back massage. If you feel tension and pain in your back muscles, start with mental touches, light mental stroking, as massage therapists do. Then move on to mental rubbing, and then to kneading the muscles with imaginary fingers and pressing on them with mental hands. You massage your back, starting from the shoulders, then going down to the shoulder blades, and then along the spine even lower to the lower back and buttocks. Take your time. Your memories create images for the nervous system, and the obedient nervous system gives commands to relax the muscles that you mentally massage.
In the same way, you can mentally massage any part of the body where tension or muscle pain is felt, if, of course, it is available for regular massage: legs, arms, neck, and so on. In order for your muscles to feel relaxed, so that your muscles do not hurt, your imagination must learn to create vivid and vivid images of how they are massaged, remembering the pleasure of ease that the massage brought.
As an example, listen to the audio recording “Head and Neck Massage.”
About relaxation through strong tension and vibration
The elimination of strong, including chronic, tension by increasing tension and then sharply releasing it was successfully used for many years by the American psychotherapist Alexander Lowen. Achieving deep relaxation through exercise, especially if there is pain in the muscles, through exercise is generally practiced quite often. Stress relief can also be achieved through muscle vibration. Vibration or trembling warms up the muscles well. However, these techniques cannot be used for muscle spasms, and their use at home requires some caution, especially in relation to the cardiovascular system.
For normal functioning, the human body needs to constantly move. Muscles are responsible for movement in our body; the signal for muscle contraction and relaxation is transmitted by the nerve.
How does a nerve tense a muscle?
Nerve impulses are transmitted along the nerves, similar to electric charge, they are formed in response to irritation of neurons or at the request of a person. The stronger the impulse, the more tense the muscle is. We ourselves do not feel the transmission of impulse, we imagine what we want to do and our body carries it out, for example, take a pen and write a text. And also reflexively, for example, when touching a hot kettle, we sharply withdraw our hand. That is, our brain feels pain or other irritation and reflexively tenses the muscle, protecting the body.
Why are muscles tense?
There are several reasons why muscles are tense. I will mainly talk about the back muscles, but the same rules can be applied to all other muscles.
Injuries. When there is a bruise, prolonged compression or stretching, a person experiences pain and in this case our protective reflex is triggered and tenses the muscles.
Static position. If a person is long time in one position or practically without changing it, for example, working at a computer or any other work in a forced position. Certain muscles stop working, do not receive the necessary load, and therefore are poorly supplied with blood. Metabolism in the muscles decreases significantly, metabolic products in the cells are poorly removed, and “salts in the muscles” accumulate. Muscles become tense, painful, weak, and static posture can also be the cause early development osteochondrosis.
Physical exercise. Excessive physical activity causes muscles to become tense. Most often due to physical activity the muscles of the back, legs, buttocks and arms are tense. Muscle pain after sports occurs due to the fact that during sports, metabolism in the muscles increases and metabolic products do not have time to leave the muscles as quickly as they are formed. Therefore, their number in the muscles increases. The main metabolic product is lactic acid. Accumulating in the muscles, lactic acid causes irritation of nerve endings and the brain, receiving a signal, tenses the muscles.
How to relax tense muscles
There are several ways to relax tense muscles. But first, you need to get rid of the nervous irritant:
If the cause of muscle tension is osteochondrosis, then medications that reduce pain and inflammation will help relax tense muscles (see below).
If your muscles are tense due to stress, you first need to calm down and stop being nervous. Take a course of sedatives (tenoten, afobazole, novo-passit, persen, meloxen)or see a therapist. You can also visit the SPA salon, get a massage, go to the sauna and other relaxing treatments.
If the muscles are tense due to injury, whether it is a sprain or a bruise, the muscles need rest. Try not to load the injured muscle, exclude all manipulations and movements affecting the muscle group - this will help relax tense muscles as much as possible.
If the cause of muscle tension is a static position, then you need to regularly (every hour for 5 minutes) do exercises or warm-up, not allowing the muscles to stagnate.
If the muscles are tense due to sports, then you should reduce the work of the muscles and increase blood circulation in them. Increasing the load on the muscles will not lead to a positive result, the amount of lactic acid will only increase and irritation of the nerve receptors will increase. Here it is advisable to do light warming exercises, take a warm bath with sea salt, visit the sauna, get a massage. Before starting a workout, to avoid pain and muscle tension, do a good warm-up and start the sport with light loads.
Secondly, you need to apply one or more methods that are suitable for all the reasons why muscles are tense:
Muscle relaxants are great for spasm and pain. These include drugs such as:
Neurodiclovit Suitable mainly for the back muscles, the drug contains diclofenac and B vitamins. It relieves pain and relieves inflammation, improves nutrition and blood supply to the nerves. Side effects: from digestive system- diarrhea, bloating, etc., as well as from the central nervous system - headache and dizziness.
Baclofen (works on the back muscles), has analgesic properties, not recommended for older people. Side effects: dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, hypotension, etc.
Sirdalud It reduces tone well and also has a moderate analgesic effect. Side effects: dizziness, drowsiness, slight decrease in blood pressure.
Mydocalm is an excellent muscle relaxant and pain reliever. There are no or minor side effects. Combines well with NSAIDs.
Get a massage - excellent remedy from muscle tension, with a high-quality massage you will feel relief after the first session;
Acupuncture performed by an experienced specialist will significantly alleviate the patient’s condition;
An ointment with an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) will relieve pain and spasm, just remember that you need to apply it not once or twice, but 4-5 times a day for 2-3 days.
Consequences of muscle hypertonicity
Muscles that are hypertonic for a long time cause considerable discomfort to a person. In addition to the fact that tense muscles are painful, they are also weak and cannot fully perform their function. Muscle weakness occurs as a result of slow metabolism and insufficient muscle nutrition.
Due to the fact that the muscles are tense, they pinch the vessels and nerves that are located next to them, so blood circulation in the muscles and nearby organs is impaired. If the neck muscles are tense, then pinched vessels can lead to impaired blood circulation in the brain, resulting in headaches, dizziness, distracted attention, blurred vision, poor sleep, etc.
The search for ways to improve sportsmanship led to the task of learning how to rest as quickly and “high-quality” as possible. And not only between workouts and exercises, but also during the process of performing this or that exercise. After all, any motor activity is sequential work different groups muscles. And since muscles have elastic-viscous properties, the muscles that are resting at a certain moment at the same time provide resistance to the working muscles. The more completely the inactive muscles are relaxed, the smaller it is.
For efficiency physical exercise Often the relaxation of muscles that seem to be unrelated to the muscles that are working is also affected. Tense muscles of the arms, chest, and back interfere with the rhythmic work of the legs and reduce speed. All the best sprinters in the world are distinguished by the ability to relax while running. Muscle relaxation is also important during work, especially when monotonous movements are repeated many times. A moment's relaxation of a muscle that is not currently working reduces the overall fatigue of a person working, for example, on an assembly line.
Muscle tone and emotional condition humans are closely interconnected. The more tense the muscles are, the more intense the nerve impulses they send to the brain.
Reducing muscle tone reduces excessive excitement and calms the person. The ability to relax has a beneficial effect on people suffering from neuroses and hypertension. At the same time, excessive tension, for example, in the muscles of the head and neck can cause headaches.
At first glance, voluntary muscle relaxation is not a tricky matter. Since, they say, we are sitting or lying motionless, it means that the body is relaxed. In fact, even during sleep, the muscles are in a state of so-called tonic tension; in them, part of the muscle fibers alternately, albeit very weakly, tenses. Thanks to this “shift work”, the muscles are constantly ready for action.
In a waking person, tonic muscle tension has another important function: it supports the body in one position or another, for example, it allows one to maintain an upright position.
The amount of tone reflexively depends on the degree of muscle tension. And all the muscles are attached to the bones in a somewhat stretched, tense state; this prevents them from completely relaxing. That is why, when relaxing certain muscles, you need to take a position in which these muscles could shorten.
By relaxing the biceps, we simultaneously stretch the triceps, and vice versa. The relationships of other skeletal muscles are similar - they all have antagonists. This means that it is impossible to shorten all muscles at the same time. Therefore, to relax the muscles, it is advisable to take a position in which the muscles of the torso and limbs are in more or less the same degree of tension.
This is the position the body takes when it is in water. But, the body relaxes only when the water does not cause a feeling of chills. Low water and air temperatures increase muscle tone. And all kinds of thermal water procedures (steam bath, warm bath or shower) help relax. This is also facilitated by light stroking, which not only increases the temperature of the massaged area of the body, but also has a calming effect on the nervous system.
Some practical recommendations, in order to learn how to relax your muscles: you need to sit comfortably in a chair, lean on its back, put your hands on the armrests, spread your legs slightly and bend your knees. But the pose is not yet a guarantee of deep relaxation: it only creates favorable conditions for this. It is necessary to develop the skill of relieving excessive muscle tension through active volitional efforts.
A set of relaxation exercises
If you do these exercises systematically, you will notice how the feeling of maximum muscle tension gradually turns into a feeling of deep relaxation and peace.When performing a set of exercises, you must try, straining your muscles, take a shallow breath and hold your breath. Relaxation is accompanied by a calm exhalation.
Each exercise is divided into two parts. The first is accentuated tension of a muscle or muscle group for 3-4 seconds. The second is as deep relaxation as possible. A kind of self-order enhances the effectiveness of the exercise. For example, when tensing the muscles of your arms, you need to focus on this feeling and say to yourself: “The muscles of your arms are completely relaxed.”
| FOR HANDS |
| 1. Stand up straight, raise your arms forward, tensing the muscles of the hand, forearm, and shoulder. Clench your fingers into a fist. When relaxing your hand, freely falling down, make pendulum-like movements. |
| 2. The exercise is similar to the previous one, only you need to raise your arms up, not standing straight, but leaning forward. |
| 3. With your fingers clasped behind your back, bend forward. Relaxing your fingers, allow your hands to slide off your back. (You don’t need to strain your arm muscles in this exercise.) |
| Perform each exercise 4 times. |
| FOR LEGS |
| 1. Stand with your left foot on a slight elevation, holding onto the support with your left hand for stability. Raise your right leg straight |
| 2. Lie on your back, bend your legs, spread your knees freely. Straining the muscles of the feet of the legs and thighs, bring the knees together with force, and press the feet to the support. Relaxing your legs, return them to their original position. Repeat 2 times. |
| 3. Lie on your right side, bend your legs at the knee and hip joints. Straighten your left leg up. Relaxing, take the starting position. Repeat 2-3 times. The same amount with the right foot. |
| FOR THE TORSO |
| 1. Lie on your stomach. Straining, bend over, trying to raise your knees, shoulders and head. Relaxing, take the starting position. Repeat 3-4 times. (This exercise is not recommended for older people!) |
| 2. Lie on your back. While straining, bend your torso slightly, raising your shoulders and legs. (If it is difficult to maintain balance in this position, you can help yourself a little with your hands.) Relaxing, take the starting position. Repeat 3-4 times. |
| FOR HEAD AND FACE |
| 1. Tightening your forehead muscles, raise your eyebrows and open your eyes wide. Relax your muscles and lower your eyelids freely. 2. Close your eyes tightly. Relax your eyelids, keeping them closed. 3. Squeeze your jaws and lips tightly. Relaxing them, freely lower the lower jaw. 4. Straining your tongue, press its tip to the palate. Relax your tongue and jaw. Repeat each exercise 4-6 times. |
Subsequently, it is recommended to complicate the exercises using the so-called differentiated relaxation: after completely relaxing, make movements with one muscle. Reclining freely in a chair, for example, bend and unbend a hand clenched into a fist, without straining other muscles.
Gradually, you can learn to relax the muscles that are “idle” in this situation. When this becomes a habit, the muscles will acquire a valuable quality that will increase performance and create an additional reserve of health.
One of the most common methods of psychotherapy today is muscle relaxation.
Its action is aimed at reducing the level of stress on the body, which directly depends on the dysfunction of the neuromuscular system.
A person must be able to differentiate between tension and relaxation, and also be able to manage them. You can learn this at any time.
As a result of complete relaxation, it is possible to master universal remedy, capable of coping with almost all diseases of the nervous system caused by constant stress. You can recover from insomnia, hypertension, headaches, persistent feelings of anxiety and prevent the development of a number of other diseases.
Effective Muscle Relaxation: Progressive Neuromuscular Relaxation Method
First, the patient should visit a doctor and consult with him. It will help identify any contraindications for this type of procedure. Deviations such as neurological disorders, insufficient training or muscle damage, and bone tissue pathology are possible.
The place for exercise should be comfortable, quiet and dark, which will allow you to completely relax and concentrate your attention on the processes occurring in the body. Nothing should hinder a person's movements.
It is best to wear loose clothing and perform exercises without shoes or accessories, such as glasses. The patient's body must have stable support (this does not apply to the neck and head area) so that he cannot fall asleep during the session.
Each person should recognize the difference between spontaneously occurring muscle spasms and directed muscle tension.
- In the first case, pain occurs in the joints and ligaments, accompanied by unpleasant spontaneous muscle tremors. Excessive stress leads to this state.
- In the second case, only a slightly unpleasant feeling of compression occurs in the tensed muscle, nothing more.
During the exercise, the patient should never hold his breath. It should be normal or consist of inhaling at the moment of muscle tension and exhaling at the moment of relaxation.
First of all, you should pay attention to the muscles of the lower parts of the body, and lastly to the facial area. Repeated tension of the muscles of the organs is unacceptable.
Even before the start of the relaxation session, you should give yourself a clear goal of consistently relaxing every muscle in your body. This will allow you to achieve the most effective result.
How to achieve complete body relaxation
Lean back a little and find a comfortable position. Get rid of clothing, shoes and accessories that restrict movement. Close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing, it should be correct and calm. Feel how your lungs fill with air, pausing for 30 seconds when inhaling.
Let's consider relaxing the body, or rather each part of it separately.
- Rib cage
Take a deep breath, hold your breath, relax and exhale. Try to empty your lungs completely and restore your normal breathing pattern. As you inhale, some tension should arise in the chest area, and as you exhale, complete muscle relaxation should occur. Repeat the exercise several times in a row, resting for 5-10 seconds.
- Feet and legs
Both feet should be in contact with the floor with their entire surface. Stand on your toes, stay in this position for a while and relax. You should lower yourself onto your heels smoothly, without making sudden movements. If there is a slight tension in the back of the calf muscles, then the exercise is performed correctly. At the moment of relaxation, a slight tingling sensation and a rush of warmth may appear.
To strengthen the opposite muscle group, stand on your heels while raising your toes as high as possible. A few seconds of tension and relaxation again. After these steps in lower parts The legs should feel heavy. After each exercise you should take a break of 20 seconds.
- Hips and abdomen
Straighten your legs, lift them and hold in this position. The calves should be relaxed. After some time, gently lower your feet to the floor. At the same time, the thigh muscles should feel some tension.
- Hands
Clench both hands into fists, hold them in this state and relax. This exercise is good for those who write or type a lot and often. You can spread your fingers in different directions, hold them in this state and also relax them. A feeling of warmth or slight tingling should appear in the area of the hands and forearms. Between exercises you should pause for 20 seconds.
- Face
Smile as broadly as possible, hold it there and relax. Do the same with pursed lips. Pay attention to your eyes. Close your eyes tightly, raise your eyebrows, then relax. Pause between exercises 15 seconds.
Thus, it is achieved complete body relaxation .
When muscle relaxation has been achieved, you can move to the wakefulness stage. Count from 1 to 10, focusing on yourself and the world around you. Open your eyes and feel cheerful, energized and fresh.
