Tight muscles with no relief

[Jensing]

My dad is 57 and has an issue where his muscles get extremely tight. He isn't someone who consistently works out but it sounds like it is a cramp or tightness almost. It's mostly in his calves, neck, and forearms. He has worked with a Physical therapist on exercises which give temporary relief but multiple times daily it still happens. He has tried muscle relaxant medication with some relief. I thought maybe it was a lack of electrolytes so I had him try LMNT which didn't seem to help. He eats fairly low calorie for his size and I would say he has an average American diet. 1 solid whole food meal, some sort of processed breakfast food, and lunch is sometimes fast food/sandwich. He has a dr that has tested a bunch of stuff and they can't find a root cause. Any ideas? Ideally he would clean up his diet and start exercising consistently, but I want to be able to help as much as possible with this.

I feel like it's a nutrient deficiency issue, but the Dr hasn't been able to find that.

 

[GreenMachineX]

I don't know what LMNT is, but have the ruled out magnesium and potassium specifically? Particularly the magnesium...

 

[Jeremyk1]

How's his state of mind these days? Any big life stressors or situations causing more anxiety than normal?

Ah good call. Could definitely be anxiety.

If it is just tightness, exercise would likely be the best cure. Gotta keep everything moving.

 

[botk1161]

Sound mental / unresolved stress manifested in the body. Maybe start with a music hour (spa music is good) and tell him to let go of the stress. It’s his time to relax those areas. Move to meditation if possible. Tons of great content on youtube. The body always needs a place to store stress and these are his storage areas (for now, cause they change).

 

[Jensing]

I don't know what LMNT is, but have the ruled out magnesium and potassium specifically? Particularly the magnesium...

LMNT is an electrolyte drink that is heavier on sodium. I'll have him try upping magnesium instead.

 

[Jensing]

How's his state of mind these days? Any big life stressors or situations causing more anxiety than normal?

He doesn't show immense stress, but as a business owner I'm sure it's there. I also think it got worse after quitting smoking which may have been a stress reliever for him before.

 

[Jensing]

Ah good call. Could definitely be anxiety.

If it is just tightness, exercise would likely be the best cure. Gotta keep everything moving.

I was thinking getting him consistent walks and 2 full body workouts a week would probably help quite a bit. Any other recommendations about specifics?