Whenever you feel tension in your body, you need to get rid of it immediately. You don’t deserve it. You wouldn’t go around with food stuck in your teeth. You’d floss the debris right out. If you didn’t, bacteria in your teeth would lead to larger issues such as cavities, gum disease, or root canals.

It’s the same with your body, but many people ignore warning signals such as stress, tension, strain, or tight or painful muscles or tendons, and they end up with serious injuries that can lead to surgery, disability, or both.

Body tension, like mental tension, is a sign of imbalance that should never be ignored. Once identified, tension needs to be addressed immediately and dispersed. If it isn’t addressed, a muscle imbalance will eventually throw off your whole body, and what may have started as a small twinge in your lower back will trickle to other areas, perhaps causing severe hip, back, knee, neck, shoulder, or ankle pain.

People come to me all the time looking for a solution to pain and tension. About 95 percent of the time, these complaints turn out to be muscle imbalances.…

  • Back problems? Many people who complain about back pain are really experiencing hip tension that is throwing their back off.
  • Neck problems? Most people who experience neck tension actually have tight shoulders.
  • Knees problems? Most likely muscle imbalances in your quads, calves, and shins are pulling on your knee joints.

Think of the old song, “Your hip bone’s connected to your thigh bone; your thigh bone’s connected to your knee bone,” and it makes sense. If one area is hurt, it will affect other parts of your body. The key is to find the source and correct the imbalance. The sooner you take steps to do so, the sooner you’ll find relief. But the longer you wait, the greater your problems will grow. So, back to my dental metaphor, why invite a root canal?!?!

Click here to buy Joel Harper’s book, Mind Your Body: 4 Weeks to a Leaner, Healthier Life.

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