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Have you ever wondered why days after a muscular strain or injury, your body may start to hurt more? Time passes and your muscles feel bruised while you seem to be losing strength and mobility? The answer is found in what is called the pain spasm cycle.
The pain spasm cycle is incredibly fascinating as it is actually a result of the body trying to protect itself yet causing you more discomfort in the process. Although complex at a cellular level, on the surface, it’s relatively simple to understand. For example, let’s say a friend calls and asks you to help him move to his new apartment. You agree, reluctantly, and as you bend over and lift the sofa, you feel a muscle pull on the right side of your back. The pain is isolated and you don’t feel it radiating anywhere else but the strain is severe enough to keep you from moving any more furniture. After a few days of taking it easy and some ibuprofen, you find your back in reality begins to feel worse. It is tighter and more painful while you find it’s now more difficult to bend down and tie your shoes or sit comfortably for any length of time.
This scenario is a simple example of the pain spasm cycle. (See the diagram above.) When the muscle injury occurred, your body, sensing the muscle was “in danger” contracted or tensed up the muscle to prevent further injury. This constant state of contraction resulted in reduced blood flow to the area or ischemia. Over time, tensed muscles coupled with decreased circulation cause the muscles to shorten and motion to be restricted. The worst part is, if unbroken, this cycle will repeat itself until you are left with a very stiff and painful muscle. In the long term, the buildup of inflammatory cellular waste resulting from insufficient circulation can cause more damage to the surrounding tissues than the original trauma resulting in more pain!
The good news is Massage Therapy is an effective treatment intervention for this self perpetuating condition. It has been well documented that Massage Therapy can be very useful in breaking the pain spasm cycle. The utilization of appropriate massage techniques will result in the following physiological effects – increased blood flow, decreased muscular tightness and elimination of inflammatory cellular wastes, all of which bring about normalized muscular function, range of motion and strength. Massage therapy, when performed by a Licensed Massage Therapist, is an evidenced based treatment that has been proven highly effective for breaking the pain spasm cycle.
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