What Is Muscle Imbalance?

Muscle imbalance occurs when you have overdeveloped and tight muscles in one area of the body while the opposing muscles are weak and stretched out of their normal position.  It can happen anywhere on the body and can be caused by routine things you do on the job. As your muscles get more out of balance, they start pulling your body out of proper alignment.  When a muscle imbalance pulls one of your joints out of position, it puts extra strain on that joint. That strain will begin to stress the nerves around that joint which will cause pain. The body will then try to readjust itself to ease the pain, which causes other sets of joints to become imbalanced. 

 One of the first signs of muscle imbalance is postural dysfunctions. Postural dysfunctions can be seen in the head, neck, shoulder, pelvis, as well as curvature of the spine.  Common problems with postural dysfunctions are:

•    Lower Back Pain
• Facet Joint and Ligament Strain
• Slipped discs
•  Shoulder impingement  and Rotator Cuff tendonitis 
•  Headaches and neck pain
•   Trapped Nerves
•  Sports Injuries
•  Hamstring tears
•  Anterior knee pain

Generally muscle imbalances are fairly easy to correct.  When improving muscle balance the focus is on mobilizing the joints and releasing short tight muscles and soft tissues. It’s important to work on strengthening the longer, weaker muscles to correct the body’s alignment and movement control.  Another important factor is recognizing what lifestyle or working habits are contributing to the muscle imbalance and try changing these habits if possible.