Everybody experiences some muscle tension and stiffness from time to time. If you’ve ever spent all day walking or slept in an awkward position, you know what it feels like. You might feel it in your shoulders, back, neck and jaw, or almost anywhere. Hard workouts and stress are common causes of stiffness and tension. Some health conditions and procedures can create extreme amounts of tension as well. 

In some cases, a bit of light movement, stretching and hydration may be enough to relieve muscle tension. Alternating ice and heat can help, too. When your muscle tension is intense or it doesn’t go away, you may need a stronger form of treatment.

Doctors sometimes prescribe muscle relaxers, which can provide short-term relief in some situations. However, they can come with side effects, and many people prefer a more natural approach. Physical therapy offers some safe, holistic alternatives that support your overall health.

This article describes eight methods physical therapists use to break up muscle tension and stiffness in patients.

How do physical therapists relieve muscle tension?

The kind of muscle tension that really restricts your movement for an extended time is a result of tiny muscle fibers hardening and sticking together. Your body triggers inflammation and causes muscle fibers to bulk up in response to an injury or irritation. As you heal and start to move more normally, these hardened fibers and adhesions are reabsorbed. Physical therapy techniques stimulate circulation and trigger a small, controlled amount of inflammation to speed up the process.

Physical therapists use a range of natural and noninvasive techniques to help tense muscles heal and restore movement. They might use their hands, stainless steel ergonomic tools, electrical stimulation devices, or other tools and equipment to deliver the right amount of targeted stimulation. Most PT techniques start with just a bit of stimulation or movement and gradually increase as your tension decreases. Some can provide relief in one or two sessions, and others promote healthy movement in the long term.

In sports performance therapy, PTs help athletes manage muscle tension before and after intense workouts and competition. They create a full program with different modalities to help athletes recover faster while maintaining their strength. A sports physical therapy program for muscle tension might include some manual therapy, targeted therapeutic stretches and exercises, and strategies like alternating ice and heat therapy.

8 methods physical therapists use to help patients break up muscle tension

PTs determine what specific treatment techniques they’ll use with a patient after a detailed assessment. They’ll ask you about your symptoms and perform some physical tests to observe how your muscle tension is affecting your movement. Depending on how tense your muscles are, you might start with more passive techniques to release stiffness in your tissue. You might then move on to more active exercises to gradually increase your range of motion. Treatment decisions will also depend on where your muscle tension is located.

A comprehensive and personalized treatment plan will include a combination of treatments. Your treatment plan may be made up of two or three phases. None of these treatments are typically offered as a stand-alone service. 

It’s important to seek treatment for muscle tension because it can turn into lasting stiffness or chronic pain. A physical therapist can help ensure that you get the fullest recovery possible, as soon as possible. 

Physical therapists use these treatments to loosen up tense muscles:

• Manual therapy — One of the most basic and fundamental physical therapy techniques, manual therapy or soft tissue manipulation is a passive technique in which your PT will do most of the work. They’ll use gentle massage-like movements to break up stiff muscle fibers and scar tissue from small tears. This increases circulation in the affected area, which brings oxygen and nutrients to help your body heal faster.
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) — IASTM is like manual therapy, except your PT will use metal ergonomic tools. This helps them apply more even pressure in a controlled way to promote circulation and healing. IASTM stimulates circulation and your natural inflammatory response in targeted areas to help you reabsorb scar tissue and hardened muscle fibers. The tools also help with manual techniques in hard-to-reach places, and they keep your PT from straining their hands.
• The Graston Technique® — The Graston Technique is similar to IASTM, except PTs use a different set of tools. These stainless steel tools help them find points of muscle tension and stimulate them with gentle movements. This breaks up adhesions and scar tissue while getting fresh blood flowing to the area. 
• Electrical stimulation — Electrical stimulation can start the healing process when muscles are extremely stiff (e.g., in the weeks after a surgery or immobilization with a cast). It’s helpful for treating some types of injuries as well as muscle weakness, poor muscle control, and pain or spasms. PTs perform this treatment by attaching electrodes to the skin. You’ll feel a slight tingling sensation, and many patients notice results right away.
• TENS — TENS (transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation) is similar to electrical stimulation. It’s another type of device that delivers low-voltage electrical impulses along nerve pathways. Some researchers believe it stimulates nerves that block the perception of pain, and others believe it releases endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers.
• Ultrasound — Ultrasound in physical therapy is a bit different than the imaging devices other practitioners use. It’s used for many kinds of soft tissue injuries, from strains and sprains to tendinitis and muscle tension. The device gives off heat waves, which are directly absorbed into the skin. It also causes a process called cavitation to occur. Energy from the wand causes microscopic gas bubbles around the body’s tissue to expand and contract rapidly. Researchers believe the expansion and contraction of these bubbles help speed up cellular processes to help injured tissue heal faster.
• Therapeutic exercise — Your PT will likely show you some therapeutic exercises to help keep your muscles moving every day. When you’ve regained more of your range of motion, they’ll guide you through more advanced exercises to break up tension on a larger scale. 
• Aquatic therapy — Aquatic therapy is helpful for muscle tension because it creates a bit of resistance while supporting the body. You can start moving your muscles in a slow, gentle way without any straining or sudden movements. Aquatic therapy pools are also kept at a warm temperature, which improves circulation. 

Find relief for tense, sore muscles at Lattimore PT

If muscle tension is affecting your daily activities or causing you pain, you should see a physical therapist. Whether it’s from athletic training, a surgery, stress or something else, a PT can help you understand why it’s happening and provide some relief. They can help you manage your pain as you heal and teach you some strategies to prevent your tension from coming back.

At Lattimore PT, our physical therapists take a hands-on approach to helping patients with treatment goals like easing muscle tension. Your PT will get to know you and work with you to find treatments that make sense for your condition and your life. Throughout our locations, we have 30 physical therapists with a Certification in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (COMT). This means they have extensive training in assessing patients and planning effective treatments. 

Making an appointment is easy. You don’t need a referral from a doctor, and we accept most types of insurance. If you’re ready to get relief from muscle tension, contact us or schedule an appointment today.