Muscle cramping, muscle tension, pelvic pain, constipation, and having trouble sleeping or fully recovering between workouts- the easy assumption is that more stretching, strengthening, consistency or even more PT & chiropractic care is the answer. Sometimes the issues you are having aren’t just physical – they can be chemical as well.

Magnesium is a key mineral your body uses to regular muscle contraction and relaxation, support your nervous system and help your body recover. When levels are low, muscles tend to stay in a more guarded state. This can show up as persistence tightness and difficulty relaxing or down training.

 In my office this can look like:

This is all important because when a muscle cannot relax properly it can contribute to chronic pain, pressure and dysfunction – even when a muscle is “strong”

A common misconception is that magnesium supplements are all equal and work the same with type and brand. At Whole Body Method we recommend and take professional or medical grade supplements. Medical grade supplements aren’t only third party tested for dosing but the main difference comes down to how well your body can absorb what you are taking. A lot of magnesium supplements don’t absorb well, so they either don’t work—or just go straight through you. The type and quality matter just as much as the dose.

Magnesium Glycinate – Supports muscle relaxation and nervous system calming, making it ideal for tension and cramping. 

Magnesium Citrate – brings water into the bowels and muscles and can be the better choice when you have constipation.

Magnesium Malate – a good option for people dealing with fatigue or chronic muscle soreness as it plays a role in energy production.

My favorite type of magnesium to recommend is Ortho Molecular Products Reacted Magnesium. It contains 5 types of magnesium, is easily absorbed, professional grade, and uses fully reacted (chelated) forms of magnesium which enhances absorption and reduces digestive upset. You can buy this in my office anytime or order on my website.

I also keep Pure Encapsulations magnesium citrate on hand in my office or to buy online as well. 

Dosing magnesium isn’t as easy as getting a blood test at your physical unfortunately. There are a few labs that can look at your levels -RBC magnesium and magnesium loading test. Clinically, most practitioners will go more by symptoms and response to supplementation since it’s a low-risk supplement and most people are deficient in it. Studies have suggested up to 75% of people fall below optimal intake levels of magnesium.

I recommend my patients to start with ~200mg a day and gradually increase to 200-400mg a day if tolerated well. Sometimes (especially with constipation) patients take 400-800mg a day. You can take a mix of different types of magnesium as well or take the standard dose of the reacted magnesium and add additional magnesium citrate for constipation. If you have a loose stool that is a cue to back off the supplementation.

At Whole Body Method Physical Therapy, we look beyond just the muscles and joints. Your body’s ability to relax, recover, and function well is influenced by more than just movement—it’s also impacted by what’s happening at the cellular level.

Magnesium isn’t a magic fix, but for many people, it can be a missing piece that helps everything else work better—from your exercises to your manual therapy sessions.

If you are interested in magnesium or other supplements check out the shop page on my website or send me an email about dosage if you are interested.

I hope you all are enjoying this warm spring weather! As always small businesses are able to grow thanks to my friends and patients who tell other friends about whole body method and leave me google reviews. I am forever grateful for my patients and community!

Look for a future email about my launch party in April!

Brianne Atteberry DPT, Owner Whole Body Method Physical Therapy