Muscle tightness and myopia (nearsightedness) - Whenever a muscle is asked to contract often, its baseline tone tends to increase, i.e., it becomes tighter. This fits with the concept of neural plasticity (bit.ly/1k8fpJZ). The Week Magazine reported that cases of myopia across the world have rocketed, most likely due to all the work we do with screens (he types as he looks at his screen). There are ciliary muscles inside the eye ball that when they contract, they allow suspensory ligaments to relax, which then allows the lens to bulge (accommodation), which is needed for seeing up close (near sight). The problem is likely that, due to neural plasticity, these ciliary muscles become tight and lose the ability to relax, so the lens cannot flatten out to allow for far away vision (far sight). Hence, increasing myopia. Many of my readers are manual and movement therapists, so unfortunately, there is no manual therapy to get to these muscles or movement exercises for their body to help this. But, encouraging our clients to take regular breaks when at a screen and gaze into the distance for 20-30 seconds to allow the ciliary muscles to relax (just like any muscle should have a rest and not be asked to isometrically contract for too long), is certainly a good strategy that can allow the ciliary muscles to relax and hopefully not become too tight. - Joe Muscolino DC
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 15:39:12 +0000
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