How important do you think “balance” is? If you still can’t imagine… try picturing this: if we ride a bicycle using only one hand, it’s true that we can ride like this all the way even though the bike’s neck wobbles back and forth. But we cannot guarantee that if we encounter a steep hill, we will be able to ride through without losing balance and causing an accident. The same goes for our “muscles.” You might still be able to use them (as usual) even if they are unbalanced, but if left unchecked, there is a chance of injury. And if these behaviors describe you, we want you to take a moment to check yourself… to see if your muscles are unbalanced.
Right-handed… so you only use the muscles on the right side. This is the starting point of muscle imbalance (Muscle Imbalance)
Since you are right-handed, of course, you usually eat with your right hand, use your phone with your right hand, or lift things with your right hand. Many people may never consider this behavior as harmful to their muscles. But in reality, using only the muscles on the side we are dominant in, because we believe it is stronger and more convenient to use, causes the muscles on the more used side to tense and contract. Conversely… the unused side gradually weakens and stretches, creating an imbalance called Body Muscular Imbalance, or uneven muscles on the left and right sides.
Not only that, the imbalance between the left and right muscles also causes Joint Muscular Imbalance, where the position of the joints shifts from normal, limiting body movement and leading to problems such as chronic injuries, persistent pain, or less than 100% physical performance.
Exercising the same way… in the same position, did you know it can also cause muscle imbalance?
Because they want to build muscle aesthetics, many weight training enthusiasts often focus on lifting weights in the same position repeatedly on the same plane, which causes the heavily used muscles to be at risk of injury, while the less used muscles are not developed. Incorrect exercise, such as using the dominant side to lift the barbell more than the non-dominant side, can also cause muscle imbalance and negatively affect posture.
Back pain from sitting too long, office syndrome symptoms that never go away, may be due to muscle imbalance
The hip muscles, or Hip Flexors, are responsible for bending the hip joint or folding the leg toward the body. Sitting for long periods causes the hip joint to remain bent for hours, leading to muscle tightness and tension pulling on the lower spine, while the opposite glute muscles weaken. This creates an imbalance between the front and back muscles, causing chronic lower back pain that never seems to go away.
Sitting for long periods not only causes back pain during the day but can also cause back pain upon waking in the morning. This is because the tightened Hip Flexor muscles cause the bent legs not to lie flat on the bed when sleeping on the back, as if sleeping with an arched back all night, resulting in back pain.
By now, many of you probably understand better how important “muscle balance” is. Muscle Check is a method that helps assess the balance of each muscle group in terms of strength, flexibility, and endurance to help plan lifestyle adjustments… so you can live better in every aspect again.