Providers Perspective - Stress Awareness

Aloha friends,

Everyone seems stressed these days, so I thought this would be a great time to talk about something I see all the time in my practice… how stress affects the body, especially our muscles and joints. Over the years, I’ve had so many clients come in feeling like something must be “wrong” to explain their aches and pains like an injury, a diagnosis, a condition. But sometimes, the root cause is a lot simpler (and sneakier): it’s stress.

Let’s take a quick dive into how stress can sneak up on the musculoskeletal system and make us feel stiff, sore, and downright uncomfortable.

What’s Going On When We’re Stressed?

When we’re stressed out whether from work, life, relationships, or even scrolling through the news our body kicks into gear. This is that famous “fight or flight” mode where hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood our system, getting us ready to deal with whatever’s coming. This can be helpful short term, but when stress sticks around (hello, modern life), it starts causing wear and tear… especially on our muscles.

The most common thing I see? Tension. Tight shoulders, clenched jaws, sore backs and hips… these are all signs that your body is carrying stress like a backpack full of bricks. And if that stress doesn’t get released, your body starts adapting to it like it’s the new normal.

Muscle Tension, Pain, and That “Always Achy” Feeling

Chronic tension from stress can lead to something called myofascial pain. Basically, muscles get so tight for so long that they develop trigger points or “knots.” These can feel sore, tender, and even send pain into other areas. Blood flow gets restricted, oxygen can’t circulate properly, and the muscles become tired and painful. Not fun.

And here’s the kicker: stress also changes the way your brain interprets pain. It can crank up your sensitivity to discomfort, so a little ache might feel like a lot. That’s why folks with stress often feel like they’re in more pain even when there’s no visible injury.

Fascia, Joints, and the Ripple Effect

Muscles aren’t the only things taking the hit. Stress can also mess with your fascia, the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles and organs. It can get stiff and dehydrated, leaving you feeling restricted, tight, or even “stuck.” Add in poor sleep or skipping movement, and your joints can get cranky too. If you already have arthritis or old injuries, stress can absolutely make them flare up.

The Cycle of Pain and Not Wanting to Move

One of the toughest parts is the feedback loop: stress causes pain → pain makes you want to move less → less movement makes things hurt more. It’s easy to get caught in that spiral. But the good news is you can break the cycle.

So What Helps?

Thankfully, there are a lot of ways to support your body through stress. Massage (of course) is one of the best tools we have to help reduce tension, improve circulation, and even lower cortisol levels. It’s not just pampering, it’s care that your body NEEDS!

Other great options? Gentle movement like yoga or tai chi, breathing exercises, mindfulness, and quality sleep. Your body wants to feel better. Sometimes it just needs a little help remembering how.

Let’s Be Kind to Our Bodies

So if you’ve been feeling sore, stiff, or just “off,” know that you’re not alone; also, it might not be anything more than stress doing its thing. The best part is that there are things we can do to feel better. It starts with awareness, and it continues with care.

You’ve got this & I’ve got your back!

With Love and Light,
Richard Lynn Harrison, MSOM, ACBT, LMT
R&R Therapeutics

If you would like to read into more detail here are some references:

References

Clauw, D. J. (2015). Diagnosing and treating chronic musculoskeletal pain based on the underlying mechanism(s). Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 29(1), 6–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.berh.2015.04.024

Field, T., Diego, M., & Hernandez-Reif, M. (2005). Massage therapy research. Developmental Review, 25(1), 123–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2004.08.006

McEwen, B. S. (2004). Protection and damage from acute and chronic stress: Allostasis and allostatic overload and relevance to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1032, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1314.001

Schleip, R., Jäger, H., & Klingler, W. (2012). What is ‘fascia’? A review of different nomenclatures. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 16(4), 496–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2012.08.001

Simons, D. G., Travell, J. G., & Simons, L. S. (1999). Travell & Simons' Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual (Vol. 1). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Sullivan, M. J., Thorn, B., Haythornthwaite, J. A., Keefe, F., Martin, M., Bradley, L. A., & Lefebvre, J. C. (2001). Theoretical perspectives on the relation between catastrophizing and pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 17(1), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002508-200103000-00008

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