observations from massage therapy:
For the love of God and fuck,
And I don’t mean for five minutes before you do “real” exercise. I mean stretching is real exercise, and if you do no other form of exercise, you have to stretch if you want to avoid otherwise avoidable pain.
Bring up youtube, type in “flexibility for beginners,” and pick a video. Don’t worry if you can’t keep pace or aren’t as flexible as the instructor. It’s not about being impressive, it’s about preventative care.
Other things you can do to help:
Stay warm. Soft tissue has a nifty little characteristic called thixotrophy which, aside from being a sweet band name, means they go from a more solid state to a more liquid state under heat and pressure. It’s why massage works at all. This will help keep soft tissue looser and more elastic, which will improve your range of motion. I sleep with heating pads every night and soak in a hot bath once a week and lmty it HELPS.
Drink water. Hydrated muscles are less likely to form adhesions (when individual strands of tissue dry out, get sticky, and basically glue themselves together) which will prevent pain as well as improve ROM. Water will also help flush dislodged scar tissue and metabolic waste out of your body when you pee, which is what you want…that shit aches and/or itches when it settles.
If you can, sleep on your back. (Ignore this if you have sleep-associated breathing problems like apnea or snoring…consult with a doctor about that btw.) Put cushioning under your knees until your lower back feels comfortable, and put cushioning under your neck if it’s not already supported by your pillow. It’s ok if you can’t back-sleep the whole night immediately; just keep trying and you’ll train yourself eventually.
If you MUST sleep on your side, use that neck cushion I mentioned, and put the leg cushioning between your thighs (from knee to pelvis); this takes pressure off the lower back.
If you sleep on your stomach, put that cushioning beneath your pelvis and ankles. Idk what you can do to help your neck aside from attach a face cradle to your mattress tho :\
Get massage regularly, or a reasonable facsimile thereof if that’s not feasible. Soak as much as you can of yourself (whether it’s just your feet or your entire body) in hot water. Use self-massage tools that you pick up in stores. Lay on your stomach and let the cat knead your butt.
CBD oil does nothing for some people and works magic on other people. Experiment on your own discretion and in accordance with your local law.
Get therapy. Emotions have a physiological component (hormones, etc) and they will lodge themselves in soft tissue and cause pain if your emotions are not properly addressed. (One time I was massaging a woman’s arm, and she asked me if it was normal that she was experiencing all her hatred of her ex-husband come bubbling up suddenly. It’s not “normal” but it’s totally possible/expectable.)
Anything you can do to keep your soft tissue warm, loose, and elastic is good. Remember, you don’t want highly-defined muscle tissue if you’re not actively using that muscle…highly defined muscle in resting state mean you’re probably dehydrated, holding tension, and set up for injury. It’s okay if you work out a lot and have “shape” to your body, but you shouldn’t have dramatic curves and edges when you’re just vibin, y'know?
To sum: to do yourself a solid, you must stay liquid ✌🏻
