Why Your Muscles Always Feel Tight After Sitting—And What to Do About It

Ever stand up after a long day at your desk and feel like your body’s been folded in half?

Your hips feel locked.
Your back is cranky.
Your shoulders are up around your ears.

You stretch, maybe foam roll a bit, and it helps… for a little while. But the next day? Right back to stiff and tight.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not broken. But what you’re feeling probably isn’t true tightness.

Let’s unpack what’s really going on—and what actually helps.

Why Sitting Makes Everything Feel Tight

Your body is smart. It adapts to whatever position you’re in the most. And for a lot of people, that’s sitting.

So if you’re at a desk for 6–10 hours a day, your body starts to treat that position like home base.

Here’s what that usually looks like:

• Hips are flexed → hip flexors get grumpy

• Shoulders round forward → upper back locks up

• Core doesn’t engage → low back picks up the slack

The result? A body that’s stiff, tense, and not super happy when you ask it to move differently.

Stretching Isn’t the Enemy—It’s Just Not the Whole Answer

Stretching can feel good, and it has its place. But if your body doesn’t feel safe or supported in a new position, it’s not going to stay there.

That tight feeling? It’s often your nervous system putting the brakes on movement—not a muscle that needs lengthening.

That’s why daily stretching might give you temporary relief, but doesn’t create lasting change.

So What Does Work?

Here’s what we focus on at CoreQuest Therapy in Montreal:

✅ Teach your body how to move well again
That means more than just reaching your toes—it means building strength and control through range.

✅ Start with breath and core control
These are your body's “anchors.” If they’re off, everything else has to compensate.

✅ Get specific, not random
Instead of guessing which stretch to do, we assess how you move and build a plan from there.

When your body feels safe and stable, it doesn’t need to lock up just to get through the day.

Still Feeling Tight Every Day?

If you’re stuck in that loop of stretching, rolling, and still feeling stiff—let’s change the approach.

I use a mix of athletic therapy and movement coaching to help people here in Montreal move better, feel better, and stop relying on quick fixes that don’t last.

📍 Based in Montreal
💪 Movement-based therapy | Strength for real life

👉 Book a session or send me a message if you want to talk through where you're at and what might help.