# Muscle Tension



## silvergyrl (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm not sure if this is related to my anxiety, but I have really bad muscle tension in my neck and upper back. I have been getting headaches from this since I have had my SA and both of them have gotten progressively worse together. My anxiety makes me stress out and therefore I get tense and it makes the muscle tension worse. I also tend to make excuses that I have to avoid/not go to something because I have a headache. 

Does anyone else suffer from this? Or do I have two separate things that make each other worse?


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## dax (Nov 19, 2004)

I used to suffer from this a lot. I used to get really bad tension headaches when I was anxious.


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

I get whole body tension. It causes me a lot of pain and headaches, so I have to frequently monitor myself and relax my muscles when they're tense. Stretching helps.


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## silvergyrl (Nov 4, 2008)

liarsclub said:


> I also get migraine headaches, but that is kind of a separate issue. I've had the headaches since I was five years old, before tension was really a part of my life. During a migraine and before a migraine my neck muscles always tighten, but it's a little bit of a different sensation. More in my neck then in my shoulders.


Actually, I have gotten migraine headaches too since I was in grade 5.* But they were mostly food triggers like peanut butter and processed meat and cheese.* That's kind of interesting.


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## Tryxy (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm pretty tense all the time, and I have a really hard time winding down even on the weekends. Most of the time my jaw is sore because I tend to grit my teeth and clench my jaw, and I have neck and shoulder pain from being tensed up like a cat all day. I hate the toll that anxiety is taking on my body, almost to the point that sometimes i feel like I'm going to fall apart... The only remedy I've found so far is indulging in a long massage every month - it's pricey, but it's helpful.



BostonB said:


> The muscles in my face tend to tighten up when I get anxious. People usually think I'm angry, but it's just nerves. I started using progressive muscle relaxation. It does work, and once you get better at it you can do it at will.


This sounds interesting. I'll have to google it and give it a try.


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## Sillouhette (Nov 16, 2008)

Long hot showers really help me. Soaking in a hot tub with Epsom salts AND drinking a lot of water. When I don't drink my Extra quart a day I really feel it.


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## Lonelyone (Nov 25, 2008)

My shoulders and neck especially are very tense and tight, I also clench my jaw and grind my teeth especially when I sleep. I always wake up with a saw jaw, it sucks.


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## bobster231 (Aug 29, 2008)

I get the exact same symptoms. I am also a chronic headache sufferer. When anxiety spikes my upper back and neck muscles tighten and i get the most unbearable head pain.


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## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

The tension in my neck and upper back is crazy. The shower is good, and stretching seems to help...but I think I'm going to have to finally see a chiropractor.


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## silvergyrl (Nov 4, 2008)

sanspants08 said:


> The tension in my neck and upper back is crazy. The shower is good, and stretching seems to help...but I think I'm going to have to finally see a chiropractor.


Word of advice: Don't go to the chiropractor. I tried that back in the day but it got way worse. I suggest physiotherapy OR massage therapy.


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## Gerard (Feb 3, 2004)

Gentle self massage, gentle stretching of head circles, gentle yoga exercises, and improving posturing like the Alexander Approach, might help.


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## Louise1965 (Nov 25, 2008)

Hi Silvergyrl

It's the first time I ever post here, in fact it didn't really occur to me to look for such a site until today. This is strange, since I'm forever trying to help everybody else. In a nutshell, I've had anxiety, muscle tension so bad the nerves in my neck actually pinch too and I can't turn my head...I've also had headaches for years and years also. Personally, I've been trying to figure out when all this mess started, but frankly I can't. It's been that long. I take Ativan and Celexa, and they help, but for me one trigger I've noticed is that time of the month....I'm almost beyond myself. Anyone else feel that way? that's it's not just PMS?
thanks for listening, I hope to be of some help to some, and if not at least it's a good place to vent right?


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

I've had terrible tension in my shoulders, back and neck for years now. I also keep my jaw clenched and face screwed up a lot of the time. I absolutely hate it! 

Sometimes I wonder what sort of long-term toll this is taking on my body.


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## Little Willow (Oct 26, 2008)

I get this a lot too.

When people are tense or anxious, they tend to keep quiet and force all that tension inwards. By doing this, we subconsciously (often in sleep) tense up shoulder, neck, jaw, back or hand muscles. This can cause pain, discomfort and other health problems.
A solution is to apply heat to affected area, as well as pressure, like a hot shower with good water pressure or a massage head. Squeezing a stress ball or chewing gum can help relieve tension during the day, making it less likely to happen in sleep.

This is what my doctor says about muscle tension. Right now my neck is killing me, and I'm going to go take a hot hot bath to relieve the pain. Tiger balm can also help (but it stings a bit)


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## justpassinby (Oct 21, 2008)

yes, not as bad as it used to be. My neck, jaw, shoulders just tighten, esp in crowds. Later it can turn into nausea and migraine or cluster headaches. I also used to grind my teeth every night, but I'm no longer in the stressful situation that made me do that. Xanax helps quite a bit.


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## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

This problem is caused by a lack of MAGNESIUM in your diet. Period.

I used to have this problem as well. I would get knots all over my bad that would NEVER GO AWAY. Also, the tension was so strong, simply touching them provoked pain. All this went away when I started using magnesium. 

I welcome you all to visit the supplements forum were we have discussed this again and again.


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