Tension

Tension are mostly functional disorders of muscles or muscle groups. But pinched nerves and drafts can also cause tension in the muscles. Typical areas for this are above all the neck and back. Tension can severely restrict the freedom of movement in everyday life. Massages, warm baths and exercise help to relieve and prevent tension.

What are tension?

The benefits of a massage lie in: promoting blood circulation, relaxing the muscles, relieving pain and providing psychological relaxation.

Tension is either a disturbance in the coordination or the cooperation of the muscles. It is not a short cramp, but a long-lasting pain that can vary in strength. The muscles of the human body are pairs of antagonists: this means that one muscle at a time must expand in order for the other to contract.

The movement is released by the muscle pairs performing the same process with reversed roles. The tension arises when one of the two muscles intensifies its normal basic tension, while the other relaxes - this condition lasts for a long time and can be painful.

causes

A tension arises for various reasons. The muscles can acquire unhealthy tension from physical-mechanical causes, but also from psychological triggers.

The mechanical tension results from the fact that the body was exposed to an unhealthy posture. When sitting, for example, it often happens that the back becomes very tense. This is due to the fact that the person sits in an unnatural way and has to change the position of the muscles as a result.

The length of this different layer ultimately creates the tension. The same applies to all other muscle groups, such as the neck in combination with working too long on the computer.

Another physical cause is miscoordinated antagonist pairs. One muscle in the couple can be underdeveloped, which can happen, for example, due to low stress. In this case, the main load lies on the other muscle of the couple, which tenses accordingly.

Stress is another reason for tension. The posture of the person changes, which is usually not a problem, as the stress should subside quickly. However, if he does not do this, as is often the case in everyday work, painful tension arises. Neck and shoulder muscles are particularly often affected.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines against tension and muscle pain

Diseases with this symptom

• Muscle hardening
• Burnout syndrome

• Muscle strain
• Impingement syndrome

• Skeletal dysplasia
• Scoliosis

When should you go to the doctor?

Tension does not require a doctor's visit. The sufferer can often find relief himself with pain relief ointments, red light applications or massages. But things can look different if the tension leads to restricted mobility, severe pain or visual disturbances. Medical clarification is necessary here. It must be determined why the tension produced such effects.

Tension can also be the cause of tinnitus. In this case, it makes sense to see a physiotherapist or osteopath. This can determine the position of the tension and manually release the blockage. In the case of severe tension-related complaints, a doctor can use a local pain injection to prevent relieving posture.

One-sided stress at work or bad posture can lead to chronic tension for years. Visits to the orthopedic surgeon may be necessary here. The causes of the tension must be determined and, if possible, eliminated. Differences in leg length or age-related foot problems, unsuitable furniture or other causes can be eliminated by the person concerned.

Chronic tension can also indicate a bad mattress. If the tension pains persist despite all measures, pain therapy should be considered. There are special pain therapists for this. Here, those affected often experience being treated with strong painkillers. Many were actually developed for completely different clinical pictures. Everyone should judge for themselves whether this is an appropriate solution.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

You can treat tension yourself with simple hand acupressure. Click to enlarge.

There are many different treatments for tension. You can initially treat symptomatically to relieve the pain - the goal should be to correct the cause in order to permanently counteract the tension.

To treat the tension itself, it is advisable to use a pain ointment. This can cover up the pain, at least for a short time, until another treatment method is used. Warm showers or a visit to the sauna are also helpful to keep the tense muscles warm. This relieves the pain of tension after a while.

Physiotherapy is recommended for purely physical causes. This can be particularly helpful if an antagonist pair has developed unhappily. The weaker muscles can be specifically promoted through massage, gymnastics or swimming exercises.

In this way, they relieve the tense muscles and ensure that the load is distributed more evenly. Relaxation methods such as yoga exercises or Shiatsu help to reduce psychological stress. This can release tension over time.

Outlook & forecast

Tension can be acute or chronic. It can cause various complications. The prognosis for the individual case of tension depends on these and the causes. Many tension-related tensions can be relieved through more movement and targeted sports exercises.

Our modern life has many stress factors. Many people spend hours doing one-sided work in unnatural postures. Many citizens take problems and worries with them to sleep. Permanent and chronic tension are therefore an increasing problem in health care.

Tension-related dizziness, neck, back or headaches caused by tension can be treated with red light, physiotherapy exercises, relaxation therapies and pain ointments. Tension in the legs can be improved with magnesium or protection.

However, it would be more important than combating the symptoms to identify and eliminate the cause of the tension. Ergonomic office furniture can be helpful. If the tension is due to degenerative changes in the skeleton, the prognosis is worse. The prognosis of tension that occurs with Parkinson's disease is also rather poor. They usually develop into motor disorders and restricted mobility.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines against tension and muscle pain

prevention

Home remedies ↵ against tension In order to prevent tension, you should pay attention to an all-round healthy work environment. An ergonomically shaped chair and regular relaxation exercises during work should be a basic requirement. The conscious training of the stressed muscle groups is also helpful. By strengthening it beforehand, tension cannot arise in the first place and you stay healthy.

You can do that yourself

A range of home remedies and measures can help relieve tension. Slight tension in the neck and shoulder area can usually be relieved through warmth and relaxation. Hot water bottles and cherry stone pillows, for example, are effective, as are electric heating pads and infrared lamps.

A hot shower or a relaxing bath stimulates blood circulation and relaxes the muscles. Massages have the same effect and can be used with lavender oil or oil drops, among other things, for a better effect. Other home remedies for tension are the anti-inflammatory ginger, barley grass and the pain-relieving peppermint. There are also some effective medicinal herbs such as menthol, arnica, rosemary and camphor. At the same time, the tense area can be rubbed with warm olive oil or apple cider vinegar.

In the long term, tensions can be reduced through sport and stretching exercises. If you sit a lot, you should always incorporate walks into everyday life and also get up back-friendly. In addition, possible causes for the tension should be eliminated. An office chair that is easy on the back, for example, can reduce postural shoulder and neck pain. Stress-related tension can be relieved by relaxation. If these measures do not have the desired effect, a visit to a doctor is recommended for further clarification.