As people age, they
begin to complain more about pains in their muscles and joints. They seem to
stiffen up with age, and such commonplace activities as bending over for the
morning paper can make them wince.
Such pain can grip so
fiercely that they are sure it begins deep in their bones. But the real cause
of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or bones, according to
research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but in the muscles and connective
tissues that move the joints.
The frictional
resistance generated by the two rubbing surfaces of bones in the joints is
negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis.
Flexibility is the
medical term used to describe the range of a joint’s motion from full movement
in one direction to full movement in the other. The greater the range of
movement, the more flexible the joint.
If you bend forward at
the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips, you have good flexibility,
or range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend over easily with a
minimal expenditure of energy and force? The exertion required to flex a joint
is just as important as its range of possible motion.
Different factors limit
the flexibility and ease of movement in different joints and muscles. In the
elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a definite limit. In other
joints, such as the ankle, hip, and back, the soft tissue—muscle and connective
tissue—limit the motion range.
The problem of
inflexible joints and muscles is similar to the difficulty of opening and
closing a gate because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has become balky.
Hence, if people do not
regularly move their muscles and joints through their full ranges of motion,
they lose some of their potential. That is why when these people will try to
move a joint after a long period of inactivity, they feel pain, and that
discourages further use
What happens next is
that the muscles become shortened with prolonged disuse and produces spasms and
cramps that can be irritating and extremely painful. The immobilization of
muscles, as researchers have demonstrated with laboratory animals, brings about
biochemical changes in the tissue.
However, other factors
trigger sore muscles. Here are some of them:
1. Too much exercise
Have you always believed
in the saying, “No pain, no gain?” If you do, then, it is not so surprising if
you have already experienced sore muscles.
The problem with most
people is that they exercise too much thinking that it is the fastest and the
surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to ignore their muscles
and connective tissue, even though they are what quite literally holds the body
together.
2. Aging and inactivity
Connective tissue binds
muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and
unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, the tendons, ligaments,
and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed
fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest is the fasciae. But if
they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing
undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle fasciae. Many aches and
pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along these pressured
pathways.
3. Immobility
Sore muscles or muscle
pain can be excruciating, owing to the body’s reaction to a cramp or ache. In
this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body automatically immobilizes
a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious
cycle of pain.
First, an unused muscle
becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual position. The body then
responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the connective tissue around the
muscle. This causes more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. One of
the most common sites for this problem is the lower back.
4. Spasm theory
In the physiology
laboratory at the University of Southern California, some people have set out
to learn more about this cycle of pain.
Using some device, they
measured electrical activity in the muscles. The researchers knew that normal,
well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical activity, whereas, muscles that are
not fully relaxed show considerable activity.
In one experiment, the
researchers measured these electrical signals in the muscles of persons with
athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized, and then, after the
muscle had been stretched.
In almost every case,
exercises that stretched or lengthened the muscle diminished electrical
activity and relieved pain, either totally or partially.
These experiments led to
the “spasm theory,” an explanation of the development and persistence of muscle
pain in the absence of any obvious cause, such as traumatic injury.
According to this theory,
a muscle that is overworked or used in a strange position becomes fatigued and
as a result, sore muscles.
Hence, it is extremely
important to know the limitations and capacity of the muscles to avoid sore
muscles. This goes to show that there is no truth in the saying, “No pain, no
gain.” What matters most is on how people stay fit by exercising regularly at a
normal range than once rarely but on a rigid routine.