Reasons are: 1. Overexercise 2. Sedentary Lifestyle 3. Aging 4. Dehydration 5. Degeneration in Spinal Discs 6. Inappropriate Sitting Posture, 7. An Underlying Myopathy

1. 7 Reasons Why
Your Muscles are
Stiff and Tight

2. 1. Overexercise
You might have noticed that your muscles get stiff and tightened
whenever you go to the gym for the first time in a while, that
tightened feeling lasts for days!
You feel deadly cramps even performing everyday chores such as
walking and sitting. That's because your body is not used to such
overactivity or overexercise, and doing so can make your muscles
work harder than they used to–leading to tightened and stiff
muscles.

3. 2. Sedentary Lifestyle

4. Your mom might scold you for sitting on the couch 24/7 and not
getting yourself indulged in physical activities. What if we told
you that your mom might be right and you should start moving
ASAP?
Living a sedentary lifestyle can lead you on the road to muscle
stiffness and weakening.
Also, sitting in the same position for extended periods can
trigger back stiffness and pain by tightening muscles and
worsening back pain.

5. 3. Aging
As you age, Synovial fluid (the lubricating fluid inside your joints
to support healthy cushion movement) decreases, and your
muscle starts to tender. Moreover, your cartilage also starts
getting thinner–making all your movements tough and muscles
less resistant to flexibility.
According to 2020 research, aging is associated with increased
muscle stiffness because the muscles become more rigid.

6. 4. Dehydration
Our body is 55-60% water, requiring constant hydration to
maintain superlative health. Hydration assists in all bodily
functions, such as keeping joints lubricated, hydrating discs
between the vertebrae, and preventing muscles from stiffening
and tightening.
If proper hydration is not provided, muscles can get stiffened
and tightened, leading to muscle tension, cramping, and back
pain. A study in 2006 suggests that dehydration negatively
affects muscle performance by initiating stiffness and swelling.

7. 5. Degeneration in Spinal Discs
Spinal discs are shock absorbers of your back. Sometimes,
due to injury, age-related problems, or an inactive lifestyle,
your natural shock absorbers get disturbed and start
degenerating. This degeneration can cause muscle
stiffness and muscle tightness in the back.

8. 6. Inappropriate Sitting Posture
Sitting in an improper posture is the worst thing you can do to your
back. You may have asked yourself why my back feels tight after
finishing the prolonged desk job. It’s because you’ve been sitting in
the wrong posture.
Many research, surveys, and observational studies prove that
improper posture can lead to muscle stiffness, tension, and
tightening.
A 2021 research backs up the fact that prolonged sitting with
slumped posture can invite the risk of LBP, muscle stiffness,
fatigue, and tightness.

9. 7. An Underlying Myopathy
When no reason pops up why your muscles are tightened
or stiffed, it’s best if you get yourself checked by an
orthopedic specialist or chiropractor. There are chances
that you may have some underlying myopathy (a disease
that affects skeletal muscles).