A tightening system includes a housing and a spool situated within the housing. The spool is rotatable about an axis within the housing. An elongate tensioning element is rotatably linked to the spool and a tension control mechanism is operatively connected to the spool. The tension control mechanism is arranged to automatically move relative to the spool when tension in the tensioning element reaches a predetermined level, which, in turn, releases at least part of the tension in the tensioning element.
