Chronic Passive Tension (CPT) is the presence of chronic tension in a muscle while the muscle is at rest. This condition occurs when the muscles are contracting during periods of inactivity such as sleep or sitting for long periods, and often results in pain to muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments. PUSH^SM Therapy Treatment Plan is designed to address and eliminate pain and tension caused by CPT.

How Chronic Passive Tension Develops
Blood carries oxygen to muscles and oxygen provides the nutrients necessary for the muscles strength and endurance. As a muscle fatigues, it begins to tighten, resulting in involuntary contraction and constricted blood flow. When a muscle is pushed past the point of fatigue, it builds up lactic acid and has to work harder to get the oxygen it needed to function. This causes the muscle to become even tighter, decreasing blood and oxygen levels even further. If this negative pattering continues, the muscle will take on a contracted, rigid quality even while at rest. Healthy muscles have some tension at full rest, but not enough to cause constant involuntary flexion of a muscle, or CPT. Chronic Passive Tension is very different from Active Tension. Active Tension is tensions that build in a muscle during physical activity and is a normal process of aerobic activity. Active Tension is a temporary condition and releases when the muscle is allowed rest. If resting doesn’t release the tension, it can develop into CPT.

How Chronic Passive Tension Leads to Pain
Chronic Passive Tension limits range of motion by shortening the muscles between two joints. If the muscle and its tendons are short and tight even before activity begins, the body has to over work during the activity. This adds to that negative loop of fatigue decreased blood flow and even more tension. Tension usually develops into muscle soreness. If this pattern remains, that soreness develops into occasional pain, which then often leads to chronic pain. These patterns are the accumulative effect of acute traumas, chronic repetitive use, under use, posture or sports training. During normal daily activities, as muscle extend and flex, blood flow increase to the muscle often masking signs of pain and tension. However during sleep or sitting, muscles with CPT continue contracting without the increase blood flow to hide the symptoms. This results in waking or getting up out of a chair with fatigue, stiffness, and even pain. Without the presence of CPT, the body should wake up feeling both rested and rejuvenated. If you have pain and tension at night or upon waking, you probably suffer form Chronic Passive Tension.

Chronic Passive Tension and Stretching
The purpose of stretching is to loosen joints and to increase the range of motion of a muscle. But stretching has a minimal effect on a muscle’s resting length or amount of tension the muscle has at rest. This is the reason why stretching has been mostly ineffective for treating chronic pain and passive tension. During a stretch, muscles, tendons, joints are pulled apart until the stretch stops. When the stretch stops the muscle relaxes, and returns to its programmed resting length. So during that stretch, the active range of motion may have increased, but the resting length has been changed little to none. Due to its ability to increase or maintain the active range of motion of a muscle, it is important for athletes to stretch as part of their routine. Stretching does not however, effectively change the passive resting length of a muscle, and is therefore inefficient in treating Chronic Passive Tension issues. PUSH^SM Therapy treatments are designed to stop the process of Chronic Passive Tension, creating healthier muscle resting lengths, improving the quality of the muscle tone, and eliminating tension and pain.
PUSH^SM Therapy Treatment Plan addresses Chronic Passive Tension by restoring the oxygen and blood flow to muscles, breaking negative muscle patterns, and stopping involuntary muscle contractions. As oxygen supplies are restored to muscles, CPT releases and allows the muscle to maintain a normal resting length in a relaxed, pain free state.