West Palm Beach Chiropractor: Muscle Imbalance Syndrome and Soft Tissue Techniques

A common source of pain and disability is soft tissue injury with its resultant fibrosis and loss of elasticity and strength. Soft tissue injury and fibrosis may result from acute or repetitive trauma to muscular, tendinous, myofascial, or ligamentous tissue.  Therefore, adjustments of the joint without attention to the supporting and controlling effects of the soft tissues (i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia) will likely result in recurrence of joint dysfunction (misalignment of joint).  The reason being, abnormal soft tissue patterns and presentations may persist after joint function has been restored.  Accordingly, any soft tissue problems need to be treated along with the joint dysfunction. 

Soft Tissue Manipulation (STM) techniques are defined as those physical methods applied to muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and other connective tissues with the goal of therapeutically affecting the body. This post is about a West Palm Beach Chiropractor:  Muscle Imbalance Syndrome and Soft Tissue Techniques.

West Palm Beach Chiropractor:  Muscle Imbalance Syndrome

 Obviously, there are some differences in muscle strength which cause a normal imbalance. After all, not all muscles are equal. The smaller muscles tend to react rapidly and strongly to a stimulus and are called phasic. Similarly, the larger muscles hold our posture and are called tonic.  And then certain movement patterns are notable.  For example, internal (inward) rotation of the shoulder is stronger than external (outward) rotation of the shoulder.  Additionally, the size and number of the muscles used for the particular movement matters.  Alternatively, position also makes your balance of muscles stronger or weaker.  However, there is another point of view clinically in regards to muscle imbalance; weakness and tightness.  This type of muscle imbalance is dysfunctional and needs evaluation and treatment to correct.

Muscle imbalance Syndrome  is when some of your muscles become shortened/tight and overactive or weak and inhibited.  Inhibition means that the neural connection is absent, bypassed, incomplete, weak, or overridden. Moreover, this often happens to specific muscles. Typically, postural antigravity slow-twitch muscles tend to tighten and shorten.  In contrast, the phasic fast twitch muscles usually weaken and elongate. For example, with the forward head posture syndrome  you shift your head forward with the chin poking out which causes the following:

-Your upper trapezius, levator scapulae and pectoral muscles tighten, shorten and become overactive.

-Your deep cervical (neck) flexors, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids and serratus muscles weaken and get inhibited

And there are other various patterns of imbalance (e.g. Pelvic Cross syndrome, layer syndrome). 

West Palm Beach Chiropractor:  Causes of Muscle Imbalance Syndrome

While there are many reasons for muscle imbalance, the most common cause may be chronic overuse or traumatic injury.  Without proper treatment, there is a muscle elasticity change.  Of course, having a sedentary lifestyle without a variety of movements also causes imbalance.  Your connective tissue will shorten over time if left in the same position for long. Indeed, forced movements, stress, and even fatigue can lead to muscle imbalance.  Next, this can even effect your central nervous system.  Your nervous system remembers these imbalances of abnormal movement patterns.  Also, even though appearing often together, a muscle that is tight, shortened and overactive is not the same as muscle spasm. This Tightness is due to hypertrophy (overgrowth) of the connective tissue.

Ultimately, combinations of tight and weak muscles have abnormal movement patterns that changes the biomechanics of joints.  And this can lead to degenerative (wear and tear) changes or/and fixated joints.

West Palm Beach Chiropractor:  Muscle Imbalance Syndrome Evaluation and Treatment at Meiri Chiropractic

Generally, practitioners test muscle strength to evaluate imbalance. With muscle imbalance syndrome, some Researchers  introduced using movement patterns as part of the evaluation. 

Firstly, when the patient first presents, it’s important to get them out of pain.  So the total treatment of the chronicity should begin with restoring as much joint motion by chiropractic adjustments/manipulation as possible and substantially decreasing pain before balancing the muscular system.

Secondly, for treatment of the muscle imbalance, post-isometric relaxation and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques are utilized.

Thirdly, proprioceptive (sense that lets us perceive the location and movements of our body parts) training is incorporated.  This is done with  various balance activities (e.g. wobble boards, exercise balls, trampolines).  Studies show these types of activities help the nervous system on a subconscious level regarding the new correct movement pattern.  The result is improvement of gait, coordination, body posture, and stabilization.