Your body bears the brunt of your daily activities, whether you’re on your feet all day or sitting behind a desk. Sore or achy muscles shouldn’t have to hold you back. With proper treatment, you can get back to feeling like yourself again. In this blog, we explain what muscle knots are, explore various causes and treatments, and discuss how to get rid of muscle knots with the help of a knot massage.
What Are Muscle Knots?
Muscle knots are tense or tightened muscle fibres that can cause discomfort with movement or when you’re at rest. Muscle knots feel like hard lumps that form along stiff or swollen muscles. The back, neck, and shoulders are common areas where muscle knots occur, but they can also cause pain in your arms, legs, and head.
Pain from muscle knots can happen suddenly, from applied pressure, or after an injury, such as a strained or sprained back. While muscle knots are typically not a major cause for concern, experiencing regular reoccurrence can be a sign of a chronic condition that should be evaluated by your healthcare provider. They can recommend alternatives to get rid of muscle knots such as regularly scheduled exercise, getting a knot massage and more.
Cause of Muscle Knots
There are many causes for the various types of muscle knots. For example, knots in the neck can appear for different reasons than knots in the lower back. Here is a list of potential causes of muscle knots:
Poor Posture: Sitting and standing with poor posture can over-or under-work certain muscles in your shoulders, back, hips, and knees. Years of bad posture causes an imbalance in muscle usage, which weakens muscles and puts them at a greater risk of developing knots.
Stress: When you experience physical or emotional stress, your body involuntarily tenses up. Continuous stress causes your body to constantly tense and untense, which can lead to the formation of knots in lower backs, necks, and shoulders.
Dehydration: Electrolytes make it easier for your muscles to contract and relax. Lack of hydration can also restrict the flow of blood and oxygen to your muscles. Making sure you drink plenty of water can both prevent and heal muscle knots.
NutrientDeficientDiet: Lacking adequate levels of iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamin D can weaken your muscles, leading to knots. Without enough nutrients, your muscles are also more prone to spasms and injury.
Fatigue: Fatigued muscles are more vulnerable to developing knots. Repetitive movements, over-or under-using muscles, and pushing your body past its limits can cause muscle fatigue. This can happen from working out too long or lifting objects that are too heavy for your muscle tone.
Lack of Sleep: A lack of sleep can contribute to an increase of stress and muscle inflammation. The combination of stress and inflammation make your more susceptible to injuries including muscle knots, spasms, and strains.
JointIssues: If you have a history of joint problems, you can be at risk of muscle knots. Previous injuries to your joints or a diagnosis of joint-related ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis can affect the strength and endurance of your muscles.
How To Get Rid of Muscle Knots
Everyone’s muscles respond differently to treatment. Depending on the location of the knot, its size, and the underlying cause, you find some treatment options better than others. Here are a few recommendations on how to get rid of muscle knots:
Stretch: Gently stretching your muscles is an excellent way of releasing some of the tension on your body. Move slowly and make sure you aren’t forcing your muscles into positions they can’t handle, as that can exacerbate the pain. Hold your stretches for about 30 seconds for the best results.
Rest: Consider placing pillows under your body while you sleep to provide extra support to your muscles, relieving tension and strain.
Knot Massage: This type of massage specifically targets the knots in the neck, shoulders, lower back and more to relieve the built up tensions and pain in those muscles. Knot massage helps to loosen the area, increase blood flow and reduce stiffness for immediate relief.
Hot and Cold Therapy: Cold compresses reduce the inflammation in lower back knots, knots in shoulders, and other knots in your body. Heating packs loosen muscle stiffness, ease pain, and promote healthy blood flow.
Exercise: Different exercises work specific muscles. For example, water aerobics or swimming can stretch the muscle knots in your neck or back. Exercising can also repair damages in your muscle tissue by increasing circulation and oxygen in your body.
Physical Therapy: Chronic muscle condition can benefit from physical therapy. Professional physical therapists have a deep understanding of healing and will be able to offer exercises and treatment plans that reduce reoccurrence and lessen your discomfort.
Trigger Point Pressure Release: Certain practitioners offer what’s known as trigger point pressure release therapy. By applying pressure to your knots, they can slowly soften your muscles. Afterwards, you’ll part take in a series of movements that will retrain your muscle and decrease the chances of a reoccurring problem.
How Massage Therapy Can Help
Massage therapy is a proven technique for alleviating muscle knot pain and accelerating healing times. Knead Wellness massage therapy reduces your stress through the expertise of qualified and licensed massage therapists and chiropractors. These professionals understand how muscles function and what enables them to heal.
Through a muscle knot massage, you will see an increase in mobility and flexibility as well as a decrease in tension. Typically, the best results are seen after the course of multiple sessions. Your personal circumstances will influence the type of massage therapy you receive.
Types of Knot Massage
The following are three-knot massages that can promote recovery and provide pain relief:
Deep Tissue Massage: This massage is intensive and involves hand strokes with increased pressure. It focuses on the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to alleviate chronic tension.
Swedish Massage: Swedish massages use techniques such as long hand strokes, circular movements, kneading, and occasionally a combination of vibration and tapping.
Sports Massage Therapy: This massage technique is used to prevent and treat sports-related injuries. Athletes are the common recipients of these massages, but they can be beneficial for anyone experiencing muscle injuries.
How To Prevent Muscle Knots
The following are the best recommendations on how to prevent muscle knots:
The recommended amount of sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours a night. Following a sleep schedule can contribute to a healthier lifestyle with less of a risk of muscle knots. Regular exercise such as stretching and taking walks each day strengths your muscles and keeps them active, reducing the chance of knots.
Prolonged periods of sitting puts stress on your back, hips, neck, and shoulders. By setting a reminder and walking around every 30 minutes, you can do wonders for your muscles and help prevent muscle knots.
Adding regular stretches into your day enhances blood flow throughout your body. You may consider a rotating schedule of walking and stretching if your job requires you to sit for the majority of the day. For example, taking a stretch break every 30 minutes, then alternating with a walking break every 60 minutes.
A healthy diet involves drinking plenty of water and eating foods that give you a balanced intake of vitamins. A few of the important vitamins to check nutrient labels for are calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium levels.
Good posture puts less of a strain on your muscles when you’re sitting and standing. Proper posture keeps your spine as straight as possible. Your shoulders should be relaxed, your head always above your shoulders, and the top of your shoulders should line up over your hips.
Knead Wellness can help you set establish an appointment schedule that’s specific to your body and personal preferences. These massages keep your muscles loose and strong. Massages are also great for relaxation and stress reduction.
Let’s Start Your Muscle Knot Treatment Today
Knead Wellness in North York has been serving customers for years. We have the knowledge and resources to restore your muscles and relieve your stress. Contact Knead Wellness to learn more about how we can get rid of your muscle knot problems.
FAQs
What does a muscle knot look like?
On the outside, a muscle knot isn’t always visible. You may see some swelling or bulging in your back, neck, or shoulders where the muscle knot is located. Underneath the surface, a muscle knot can appear like a tangled collection of muscle fibres with stretched out muscles in between.
Can you pop a muscle knot?
You can loosen knots by firmly pressing down on the trigger point, which is the lump or nodule along the muscle line. Hold the pressure for between 5 and 10 seconds, then release. Using a foam roller is another viable option to decrease the tension within the knot.
Will muscle knots go away on their own?
Yes, it’s possible for a muscle knot to go away without medical or massage treatment. Rest is essential for muscle knots to heal naturally. Remember that while the knot may disappear, there’s still the possibility of it returning without treatment to the underlying cause, such as poor posture, dehydration, or nutrient deficiencies.
How long do muscle knots last?
The average timeframe for a muscle knot to heal is one to two weeks. This healing time could be longer or shorter depending on the treatment options you choose. If you have a chronic muscle condition, your muscle knots may last over six months.
