Have you ever wondered why you didn’t notice your muscles getting so tight? You remember not being in this much pain. You used to be able to move better and had more range of motion in your joints. You used to feel good – or at least much better than this. What happened?
It’s mostly our brains. Brains are designed to notice when something is different. Once it does, it becomes the normal feeling and doesn’t alert your conscious mind of it. For example, when you put on a shirt in the morning to go to work your brain knows there is a change. You feel the fabric on your skin and how it fits. When you leave the shirt on for a while, your brain knows nothing has changed and you stop noticing it. You don’t notice throughout the day the sensation of your clothes on your skin.
Think about when you walk into a room and there is a strong scent. You are immediately aware of it, but when it hasn’t changed your brain stops paying attention to it within 30 seconds or so. When you walk into a bakery you find wonderful aromas but you quickly stop noticing them.
Have you wondered how people can stay in a place with a foul stench? It’s because their brain stops paying attention since nothing has changed.
A stressful day or repetitive motions cause some of your muscles start to tighten. It’s not a big change so you aren’t very aware of it. When you don’t do anything to reverse it your brain interprets this as your new normal condition. More stress and repetitive motions cause more muscle tightening. Since it happens gradually you don’t become aware of how much it has changed and your brain is used to this condition as normal.
Eventually though your muscles let you know that something is not right and they demand relief. Massage of course is a great way to relieve your stress and to get your muscles the relief that they need.
The change is especially noticeable after a massage. Your pain is reduced or gone and you can move much easier and more freely.
Feeling this way is how you are supposed to feel. It’s a big reason why massage therapists suggest regular massage. By keeping your body feeling good your brain starts to notice when it doesn’t feel good anymore. That helps to keep small problems from developing into bigger ones.
If you don’t remember what it’s like to feel good, or you haven’t been getting massage regularly, make an appointment and get started. Your body and brain will be glad you did.
Barry is a licensed Massage Therapist at Main Street Massage in Hudson, Ohio. Find out more about him, his business, and massage at www.HudsonMassageTherapy.com
