113: Tissue Stiffness – Friend or Foe?

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja discuss a topic that is near and dear to Katja: tissue stiffness. Claims about terms like stiffness and tension in the body can be confusing, so our goal with this episode is to clear up some of that confusion as well as leave some space for what we do not know yet. In this episode, we talk about terminology and physiology around tissue stiffness. We also talk about factors that influence stiffness and if stiffness is a friend or foe when it comes to athletic performance, injury risk, and disease of the musculoskeletal system.

Listen in to learn more about common tissue stiffness misconceptions, potential applications and future learning.

“As yoga teachers it is not our job to eliminate stiffness.” – Tiffany Cruikshank

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“Yes range of motion can be an indicator of stiffness, but as a concept it is not exactly the same thing.” – Katja Bartsch

Show Notes:

• Common misconceptions [2:27]
• Stiffness terminology [4:22]
• Factors that influence stiffness [12:40]
• The role of the nervous system in tissue stiffness [16:21]
• Athletic performance and stiffness [19:09]
• Is more stiffness always better? [25:07]
• Assessing stiffness [30:50]
• Range of motion versus tissue stiffness [44:51]
• Takeaways [48:26]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga for Athletes Training
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

“More stretching isn’t always better.” – Tiffany Cruikshank