Knots in Muscle

The #1 reason clients tend to get is massage is because they have an annoying “knots in muscle” aka adhesion or myofascial trigger point. And a knot can get very pain and effect or activities of daily living if you don’t address the problem.

So what is a knot?

A knot forms when the muscle is in constant contraction or doesn’t relax. And the muscle fibers get tiny tears call micro trauma. All those muscles fibers start to bunch up on form a knot with in the muscle belly. But science really doesn’t know 100% for sure how and or why the form. Actually science and doctors know very little about muscle pain. Even though a muscle injury is one of the top reasons a patients sees the doctor if they are in pain.

How to prevent and treat

Your best offense is a good defense. If you know you are prone to these painful little suckers them you need to be proactive in prevention. A simple yoga routine can do wonders for busted muscle knots. Yoga postures that are spinal twists are my favorite for help to get rid of knots in your back. You can also buy a foam roller. You can roll on it every day. If will hurt at first, but if you take the time to do it every day the foam roller will hurt less and less. Here is a short video to show you how to use the foam roller.

And if you are feeling brave an inversion table helps to separate the vertebra of your spine and gets your blood flowing in the opposite direction.

If your knot is really bothering than ice the area for 20 minutes then allow the area to warm back up to room temperature, usually that take about 20 minutes also. The ice is going to help calm down the chronic inflammation that happens when you have knots in muscle of your back.

Where to seek help

There are a few different health care professionals that can help you

• Chiropractic
• Physical Therapy
• Acupuncture
• Massage Therapy

All of the above are skilled in soft issue dysfunction. You just may need to to a few to see what works best for your body.