Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Have you ever noticed the feeling of your body being tense and tight after a hard practice, grueling game, or a long day of classes with homework ahead? What do you do?! Understanding relaxation can help to alleviate the tension and stress felt during situations such as those.

Relaxation is the “temporary deliberate withdrawal from everyday activity that aims to moderate the functions of the sympathetic nervous system which is usually activated under stress” (Hill, 2001, p. #). Whenever an athlete experiences any amount of pain, their pain typically will inhibit their breathing, which then reduces blood flow, which can cause muscle tension and muscle spasms. Relaxation also can act as an internal distraction. When you do PMR, you focus on the task of PMR and not on your pain or injury.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is one the most commonly techniques for relaxation. This technique involves the tensing followed by relaxing of all major muscle groups to allow the athlete to physically feel and become aware of the different sensations between tension and relaxation. It teaches athletes how to relax their muscles through a two-step process. Step 1) Tense particular muscle groups in your body, working from the top down, starting at your head then moving down to your shoulders, through your whole body. Step 2) Relax the muscle and release the tension and notice how your muscles feel when they are being relaxed.  It is important for the individuals to know what the absence of tension feels like, which can be done through relaxation.

PMR is beneficial because it can help to reduce overall tension as well as well as reduce stress levels. It can also help reduce physical problems such as headaches and stomachaches that can result from tension. Often you don’t realize how tense and stressed you are and fail to recognize what being relaxed truly feels like. Through practice with PRM, you learn how to distinguish the feelings of a tense muscle and a completely relaxed muscle. Once it becomes learned, an athlete can begin to “cue” this relaxed state when they first notice the feeling of muscle tension.  By learning and practicing tensing and releasing, not only does the individual get to feel what relaxation is like, but they are also able to recognize the first onset of tension within their muscles.

• Try to set aside roughly 15-20 minutes to complete PRM exercises.
• Find a place where you can be undisturbed to perform the exercises.
• Make sure you are in a comfortable area where there is little noise to distract.
• You don’t necessarily need to be feeling tense or anxious to do these exercises. In   fact, it is better to learn when you are calm and relaxed that way it can be easier to do when feeling anxious.
• Do not try to push your body beyond its limit. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort at any time, back off or stop all together!

Here are some helpful videos that are guided PMR exercises that can be done anywhere at any time.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86HUcX8ZtAk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqJ2OMwP2n4

 

PRM Script

Begin with finding a comfortable position either lying down or sitting, where there will be no interruptions.

Allow your attention to focus only on your body right now. If you notice your thoughts start to drift away, bring your thoughts back to the muscle you are working on.

Let’s focus on our breathing…take a deep breath through your abdomen, close your mouth and inhale through your nose, counting to 4, holding for a few seconds, and then exhale. Noticing your stomach rising and your lungs filling with air as you inhale, and as you exhale, imagine the tension in your body being released and flowing out of your body. Slowly feeling your body to relax.

As we go through each step, remember to keep breathing. Now lets begin.

Tighten the muscles in your forehead. First, raise your eyebrows, raising them as high as you can, and hold for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, not abruptly release, feeling your muscles in your forehead relax and feeling the tension release.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Now working down, smile as wide as you can, feeling your cheeks and your mouth tense. Hold for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, now release, feeling the tension leaving and feeling the softness in your face.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Now, shrug your shoulders, tensing them up close to your ears, holding for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, now release, feeling the tension in your shoulders melt away and you release.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Now, tightly, without straining, clench your fists and hold for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, now release, opening up your palms, feeling more relaxed than ever.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Now, flex your bicep. Feeling the tension building up in your arms, squeezing and tensing those biceps. Holding for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, now release, feeling the limpness of your arms and feeling the relaxation of your muscles as your release.

Now, tighten the muscles in your stomach by sucking in. Holding for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, and release.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Feeling the limpness in your upper body letting go of all of the stress that has been built up.

Now tighten your buttocks. Hold for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, release, and image your hips falling lose.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Next tighten your thighs by pressing and squeezing your knees together as if you are holding a dollar in between them and you want to flatten that dollar. Hold for 5 seconds…1…2…3…4…5, good and now release, feeling the tension in your thighs releasing.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Now flex your feet, pulling your toes all the way towards your head and feeling the tension in your calves, holding for 5 seconds…1….2….3….4….5, and relax, feeling the weight of your legs sinking down and the tension in your calves release as your relax.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Now imagine a big wave of relaxation spreading through your body, start up at your head and moving all the way down to your feet. Feel the weight of your body relaxed.

And now breathe in…inhaling slowly…and out exhaling slowly…

Feeling your body relax.

And breathe in again…and out….in….out…in…and out.

(script from: Bourne, E. (2010). Progressive Muscle Relaxation Script. Retrieved 2015, from https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/Progressive_Muscle_Relaxation.pdf)

For additional information:

     Barrow, M., & Walker, N. (2013). The psychology of sport injury and rehabilitation. New York, New York: Routledge.

    Hill, K.L. (2001) Frameworks for Sport Psychologists. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Caroline Berger, ATC

Bowling Green State University