Muscle tightness and pain, don`t overlook the obvious!

One of the most common reasons patients present to my office is due to muscle pain. Most of these complaints are from chronically tight and painful muscles. Here are the 3 most common causes that you may be able to address today:

1) Dehydration. This is one of the most common causes that I see of chronic muscle pain.

There is a common rule-of-thumb about water intake that you may have heard of, which is half of your body weight in ounces. This would suggest that a 160lb person should be drinking 80 ounces of water daily. While I think that this is generally accurate, this rule quickly begins to break down as weight increases. A 250lb person will have great difficulty getting 125 ounces of water in daily. No, your coffee Frappuccino does not count! I recommend that we drink between 64-80 ounces of water daily and a little more if we are exercising or out in the heat which will increase sweating significantly. If you live and work outdoors in Phoenix, you’ll likely need more than someone who works in an office in Seattle. It’s always a good idea to discuss this with your doctor and refine the intake based on your body weight and composition and lifestyle.

2) Magnesium deficiency. Our muscles cannot relax without it!

Muscle relaxation and elongation requires magnesium. One of the most common mineral deficiencies is magnesium deficiency. Why? I’m glad you asked…. We are supposed to be getting the bulk of our magnesium from green leafy vegetables. Most Americans are not eating 5-6 cups of green leafy vegetables daily. Occasionally, I have patients that swear that they do. I then have to have a very basic discussion regarding digestion. Remember when your grandmother told you to chew your food 40 times (or so)? It was good advice. If you don’t chew leaves you cannot break down the cellulose walls of the plant that contain the nutrients we need, effectively. The next time you eat, count how many times you chew before you swallow. You will be surprised to notice it’s about 5-6 chews. This is not ideal for digestion. So…chew your food until it feels like there’s not much left, then swallow it. You’ll have a better chance of absorbing your nutrients! You can also get magnesium into your system by soaking your feet in an Epsom salt bath or adding it to your bathwater. If soaking it in is not an option, you may need to add a magnesium supplement to your diet. See your physican or nutritionist to discuss your magnesium needs.

3) Posture! If you are an upright human on this planet that uses electronic devices and have a desk, odds are good you have a forward head and shoulder position, for at least part of the day, which puts undue stress on the muscles of the upper back and neck. Neck pain is the most common muscle pain complaint that patients report in my office. So be careful to position your computer at eye level and try not to look down at your phone as if you were looking at the floor.

I hope this helps some of you to ease muscle tension and aches.

Namaste,

Dr. A

Magnesium Resources:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-healthProfessional/#h7 
https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/www.nal.usda.gov/files/magnesium.pdf