What Muscles Do & Where the Message is Coming From

Here's the thing.

Last I checked, muscles receive information from the brain or spinal cord to contract. Or generate tension.

They don't ever get a message to stretch.

Now I get it that you might feel like you want to stretch.

So if you feel like stretching. Certain muscles either feel stiff, tensed up. Or you know you gotta move something some which way to feel a little more comfortable.

The fact remains - a muscle or groups of muscles are designed to contract.

Good Thing Bad Thing

The stretch reflex you see, can be a good thing and a bad thing.

When you quickly pull your hand away from a hot stove. That's the stretch reflex acting in super fast mode so you don't burn yourself.

You don't have to think about it since it's a spinal cord event.

When you push for range of motion, or move quickly enough or even innocently enough when you reach for a glass... and ouch! you turn on a muscle spasm.

The negative side of the stretch reflex is talkin' to you.

It serves to pull you back most likely due to high tension levels.

Aight? (Street talk for alright.)

After you stretch your back. The brain will reset the pre-programmed level of tension you were living with.

That's why it doesn't take much of any movement with high tension levels to turn up the volume to get your attention.