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Weakness or stiffness of muscles is a problem that can make anyone
feel his age. Too much tension and too little exercise greatly increase
the natural loss of muscular fitness with age. Many scientists believe
aging muscles or muscles deprived exercise go through shortening. It
is not simply a matter of unstreched muscles staying too short the muscles
actually become shorter, the longer they put more and more pressure
on the nerves running through the muscle sheaths. This is one of the
major reasons behind the muscle aches & pains that commonly afflict
older people.
Whenever muscles pain occurs, it sets off a "splinting relax"
in the muscle. This causes the muscle to stiffen for protection. The
muscle forms a rigid, natural splint. When the shortened muscles set
off the splinting relax, however, the contraction of the muscles increases
until they are knotted up in a uncontrollable spasm, exactly the kind
of spasm people experience with lower back pain. Muscle spasm is the
body’s reaction to tissue injury. On injury cells breakdown &
release into the surrounding muscle tissue the chemicals calcium &
histamine. Calcium reacts with ATP to produce muscle contraction. Unless,
immediately stretched out, contracted muscles release the chemical leukotriens;
leukotrienes cause muscles to contract that means more muscles spasms.
Simultaneously the accumulating leuktrienes combine with histamine in
another chemical reaction to release substance-p. Substance-p stimulates
nerve endings located throughout the muscle. This stimulation or axon
to the nerve cell or neuron located in the spinal cord. A normal muscle,
completely relaxed, shows no electrical activity, while a muscle in
spasm or tensed with pain have electrical activity. Spinal cord information
is relayed to another nerve tail called a synapse for speedy transmission
to a nerve cell located in the pain center of the brain, lastly, the
alarm that first went our from distant twisted knotted muscles reaches
the cortex the surface where consciousness exists. Then electrical impulses
pour into the cortex. Then one feels the perception of pain.
Injury immediately induces an independent & autonomous pain generators.
This circle of pain emerges & becomes established this circle may
go on indefinitely strengthen the muscles break the circle of pain.
Stretching is a common practice to relieve pain. Stretching exercises
helps to strengthen muscles. The muscles that probably need the most
stretching are those in the lower part of the body. Muscles in the legs
& lower back are utmost constantly in use during the day, holdin
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