Your central nervous system is telling your muscles to “tighten up” because it thinks they need to be tight to avoid injury or harm. Stretching and rolling out can help with the perception of loosening them up, but really it’s your CNS telling them to relax. That’s why you feel better after moving around and stretching when you’re sore because your CNS is toning down.
Edit: I apologize. Your autonomic nervous system is toning your muscles down.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274517864_Acute_Changes_in_Autonomic_Nerve_Activity_during_Passive_Static_Stretching
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