Why Your Muscles Feel Tighter in Winter: How to Prevent Injuries
Why is it that everything feels worse in winter?
Trying to maintain a fitness routine is drained of its usual charm. Scraping ice off the car window with your Clubcard freezes your fingers into place for 4 working days. Ahh, British winters.
And if you’ve noticed your muscles feeling tighter in winter, you’re not imagining it.
Your body is probably just cold, tired and wondering why you insist on living in the UK.
Here’s what’s really going on in your body when the temperature drops, and how to manage those rickety old bones…
Colder Muscles and Reduced Blood Flow
Cold weather forces the blood vessels in your hands, feet and limbs to constrict so your body can protect heat around your vital organs (aw, that’s nice). With less blood flow reaching your muscles and joints, everything feels stiffer and slower.
Movements that are normally easy suddenly feel like hard work. That’s because colder temperatures make connective tissues tighter and less elastic. Muscles also take longer to warm up. In the cold, your body uses more energy to perform the same tasks, so your muscles fatigue faster and produce more lactic acid. Hello, heavy, achy legs.
How to tackle it: Warm up slower and cool down properly after exercise especially. Layer up and try and get more warmth to the muscles with steam rooms/saunas/hot baths.
Tight Fascia and Tension
Your muscles instinctively tense up to help conserve warmth (since it’s been stolen by all your internal organs).
You might particularly notice stiffness and soreness in your neck, shoulders and back. The lubricating fluid around your joints becomes thicker in cold temperatures, and your fascia loses some of its liquidity, especially if you’re a bit dehydrated. At lower temperatures, collagen and connective tissues behave more like a semi-solid gel than a smooth, stretchy layer. Yum!
There’s an overall resistance to stretch and movement, but please don’t give up on getting limber!
How to tackle it: Dynamic stretches to warm and strengthen muscles. Regular gentle movement to keep the joints from stiffening. Proper hydration and even 5–10 minutes of light cardio to increase circulation and joint lubrication.
Reduced Activity and Daylight Hours
Naturally, the human body wants to hibernate more in winter. Unfortunately, capitalism and family life don’t feel the same.
Our circadian rhythm slows down in winter, so people tend to be less active. Who wants to walk to the shop in sleet when you can drive? Unfortunately, this reduced movement, even from avoiding small daily tasks, causes muscles to weaken and contract.
The lack of sunlight does a number on us, too. With less vitamin D, serotonin reduces. Pain is more noticeable when we feel down and tired, so it’s no surprise that injuries and muscle tightness feel worse in winter.
How to tackle it: Be compassionate with yourself, try to settle down for sleep earlier at night. Consider working out before it goes dark (easier said than done, we know).
Consider a SAD lamp to support your circadian rhythm. Fantastic little devices, I must admit.
Cold Weather and Musculoskeletal Conditions
Winter can be especially tough for people with musculoskeletal conditions. Particularly osteoarthritis, arthritis and fibromyalgia. The knees, hips, hands and back are the first to protest.
When barometric pressure drops, joint tissues can expand. This doesn’t cause harm itself, but can increase stiffness and discomfort.
How to manage it: Stay warm with layers and heat therapy. Remain active where possible with low-impact exercise (swimming, gentle cycling, slow yoga). Manage your mood and recovery with red-light therapy, vitamin D and plenty of sleep.
Warm baths with Epsom salts, hot water bottles, magnesium sprays, herbal teas and nourishing soups can work wonders… and a partridge in a pear tree!
Alternative Approaches For Tight Muscles
People are recognising that Western medicine isn’t the only answer. Some traditional methods survived centuries for a reason (fancy a blog on that?).
Cold influences the nervous system and emotional state, too. Fascia and muscle tissue are closely connected to the nerves that regulate stress. When these tissues tighten, the nervous system can become more reactive.
Practices like slow yoga, breathwork, meditation or Tai Chi reconnect the mind with the body. They help calm the nervous system and reduce muscle tension. Simply noticing sensations (without pushing through pain) can support your body in releasing tension naturally.
Herbal remedies could help! Here’s what we’d recommend:
- Arnica: Fantastic for nerve and tissue damage. Studies support the use of arnica for osteoarthritis.
- Turmeric: Has all kinds of health benefits. Tastes delicious and can season almost any meal.
- Ginger: Warming, anti-inflammatory and helpful for reducing tension.
- Devil’s Claw: Traditionally used to ease joint and muscle pain.
Always check with your GP or speak to us before trying new supplements.
Support From NT Sports Therapy
At NT Sports Therapy Manchester, we take a multi-faceted approach to wellbeing. Every session is tailored to your body.
Here’s how we can support your muscles in winter:
- Myofascial Release and Massage: Eases tight tissues, improves mobility, reduces pain and supports overall health
- Postural Therapy: If certain joints flare in winter, identifying imbalances or movement patterns can make a huge difference
We also offer other modalities of wellbeing support that we might suggest based on our assessment at your consultation, such as:
- Phlebotomy: To look at Vitamin D levels,, inflammation markers, energy profile and recovery status can highlight why your symptoms worsen in cold months
- Hijama (Cupping): This traditional therapy encourages blood flow, reduces stagnation and can help with muscular tension
- Therapy and Breathwork: As new studies are finding, aches and pains can be brought on by stress and emotions. Therapeutic support and breathwork could help regulate your nervous system and reprogram the emotional patterns that play a role in causing your pain
What Next?
We understand that everybody is unique and has different biological makeup.
That’s why our services aren’t one-size fits all, they’re tailored to your body and your lifestyle.
Let’s figure out the underlying issues of your physical struggles and take the road to recovery.
Get in touch for your free consultation today.