Chronic muscle hardening is frequently the result of incorrect job-related postures, vibration, shock and stress. Hard physical workers, assembly line workers, craftsmen, nurses, and truckers. All sitting professionals are also endangered.

Depending on the area of the problem the terminology is a neck syndrome, a shoulder-arm syndrome of the cervical spine or a lumbar spine syndrome. The Greek word "syndrome" indicates a group of several symptoms of different, not always the origin of the problem. Movement is restricted. The pain can be dull or sharp. It can occur only in particualr movement or be present at rest. Often the discomfort is strongest when rising up which is called "start up" pain. In other cases the pain is pronounced during labor or after.

In the painful areas the muscles are hardened and nodes can be felt, which ache upon pressure. In medical terms they are called myogelosis. As they can appear also without a work-related origin, these chronic muscle tensions are also defined as soft tissue rheumatism.

In contrast to the acute muscle hardening, chronic muscle hardening is caused by disc degeneration, instabilities of the spine, vertebral body degeneration, nerve inflammation, inflammatory rheumatism, bone degeneration, tumor, trauma, and congenital or acquired defective position of the spinal column.