I was introduced to progressive muscle relaxation by my high school swim coach. It was like heaven. The team would go to this dark room and the upperclassmen would get these lazy boy like recliners and the underclassmen would get yoga mats. I loved these sessions. I always felt so renewed after them. So if it’s good enough for athletes, it’s good for pain too!
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique commonly used for eliciting a relaxation response and relieving muscular tension. It is super easy to learn and is a great alternative to traditional meditation. It’s simple and involves sequentially relaxing various muscle groups, often starting at the head and moving down the body to the feet. My favorite was always the face, who knew we stored so much tension there?
Our coach, Tim. had a variety of tapes and scripts he read from as he taught us to scan our bodies for tension, to release the tension we were holding, and to train our bodies to be calm in the midst of competition. I recently mentioned it to my former teammates on Facebook and it seems I am not alone in being able to recall Tim’s voice easing us into states of deep relaxation, and for some, sleep! I have used this technique over and over again in my life to deal with tight shoulders during tests, the heaviness that would come to my legs during my decades of pain, and even to deal with the pains of childbirth with no medication. It takes practice. It’s worth it as you can do it anywhere and it really does help with sleep.
Edmund Jacobson, the originator of the progressive muscle relaxation training method was designed so that the practitioner would eventually be able to automatically and unconsciously monitor and release unwanted tension. The process has since been adapted and shortened by others, most notably Joseph Wolpe, and has become known as the abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation training. Included in this adaptation is the tension–release cycle (e.g. make a tight fist and then release) combined with a focus on breathing. This variation is part of Wolpe’s framework called systematic desensitization, aimed at getting in touch with the individual’s tension and the body’s response, and then letting it go in a controlled manner. Freeman (2001) suggests that PMR and other muscle-based relaxation variations convey health benefits in three ways:
- Utilizing the effects of PMR to manipulate autonomic responses
- Increases or activates the production of opiates
- Promotes optimal immune function.
Autonomic responses determine whether the body needs to engage in a ‘fight-or-flight’ or ‘rest-and-digest’ scenario or to a state somewhere between these two extremes. We want to promote “rest and digest” but most of us are way too good at “fight or flight”.
The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), associated with ‘flight-or-fight’ responses, gets the body ready for an emergency and stressful circumstances. Many of these responses are not things we are conscious of. Physically, blood flow is redirected away from the digestive process, heart rate and blood pressure increase, increase of adrenaline and cortisol which mobilize energy reserves, increases sensitivity of tissues to neurotransmitters, and inhibit the immune and inflammatory response.
This is important because it helps to do that magical thing I keep talking about, calm the nervous system. Calming the system calms pain, lowers adrenaline, lowers cortisol, and decreases nerve sensitivity to other inputs. Which helps lower our pain experience!
Progressive muscle relaxation has been effectively used to control stress and anxiety, relieve insomnia, and reduce symptoms of certain types of chronic pain. Progressive muscle relaxation is the simple practice of tensing, or tightening, one muscle group at a time followed by a relaxation phase with the release of the tension. Progressive muscle relaxation can be learned by nearly anyone and requires only 10 minutes to 20 minutes per day to practice.
Most practitioners recommend tensing and relaxing the muscle groups one at a time in a specific order, generally beginning with the lower extremities and ending with the face, abdomen, and chest. You can practice this technique seated or lying down, and you should try to practice with comfortable clothing on, and in a quiet place free of all distractions. (Or as free from distractions as you can get. )
Here is how it works;
- While inhaling, contract one muscle group (for example your upper thighs) for 5 seconds to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group.
- Give yourself 10 seconds to 20 seconds to relax, and then move on to the next muscle group (for example your buttocks).
- While releasing the tension, try to focus on the changes you feel when the muscle group is relaxed. Imagery may be helpful in conjunction with the release of tension, such as imagining that stressful feelings are flowing out of your body as you relax each muscle group.
- Gradually work your way up the body contracting and relaxing muscle groups.
People who suffer from insomnia often report that practicing progressive muscle relaxation at night helps them fall asleep. Progressive muscle relaxation is also an excellent tool to help learn about the body and the signals it may be telling you. With practice and time, you can learn to accurately identify and diminish the signs and signals of stress and tension in your body.
Learn to care for your body. Learn to listen and stop fighting it. Feel free to search YouTube for your favorite progressive muscle relaxation scripts. Then Make sure to share them on my Facebook page.
Additional reading:
Peter A. Mackereth, Lynne Tomlinson, in Integrative Hypnotherapy, 2010
Integrative Approaches to Pain Management
7Delia Chiaramonte, … Brian Morrison, in Practical Management of Pain (Fifth Edition), 2014
