Tension is a Top Down Problem: Changing our Target(s) with Exercise

Overview

Muscle tension often plays a central role in persistent musculoskeletal discomfort — from neck and low back pain to pelvic tension syndromes. Rather than focusing solely on peripheral structures, this course reframes tension as a top‑down nervous system phenomenon. You’ll explore how altered sensory‑motor processing can maintain tension and learn how targeted exercises can help retrain the brain’s representation of the body to reduce protective “tightness.”

This course is part of a larger series. You can find all of the courses in this series by going here.

What You’ll Learn

• Why tension isn’t just about “tight muscles”
  Understand how the brain’s sensory‑motor maps influence muscle activation and protective guarding, especially when nociplastic or sensory‑motor smudging occurs.
  
  
• How to assess sensory‑motor changes clinically
  Gain insight into using tools like the Fremantle Awareness Questionnaire to evaluate altered body perception — a key step in understanding tension beyond traditional assessment methods.
  
  
• Movement approaches that support nervous system retraining
  Explore practical exercise strategies — including body awareness practices such as Qi Gong — that are designed to engage the nervous system in a non‑threatening way to build tolerance and flexibility.

Audience

This course is ideal for clinicians and movement professionals interested in:

• Sensory‑motor retraining approaches

• Applying pain science to exercise prescription

• Broadening assessment and exercise strategies beyond structural models

• Supporting patients with chronic muscle tension and stiffness