You may have heard the term “muscle knots” or trigger points. This refers to a spot in the muscle that is tight or restricted. The “knot” can be caused by decrease in oxygen to that portion of the muscle and/or a spot that the muscular fibrils are tangled.
What Are Muscle Knots?
Knots or trigger points can occur anywhere in the body. They are most common in muscles of the neck and shoulders, between the shoulder blades, hip or gluteal muscles, hamstrings or calves. Muscular tightness or knots can also occur due to overuse of the muscles, such as running. For example, when we run or put our muscles through strengthening exercises, our muscles tend to have microtrauma and thus the muscle has to rebuild itself. This causes tightness, possibly knots or potentially delayed onset muscle soreness.
How Can Massage Therapy Help?
Massage therapy techniques can help to relieve, reduce or even prevent muscle knots. Deep tissue massage or sports massage techniques work on the muscles that are tight or have the knots. Trigger point massage can be firm and specific pressure to the areas of restriction or “knots” and cause release of that knot. Effleurage massage after a workout or strengthening exercises can prevent or reduce the tightness or restriction that one may feel.
Muscles knots can be painful or uncomfortable, and massage therapy can help with this. If you are experiencing knots, see a massage therapist today in order to feel better as soon as possible. Massage therapists can help to determine what is causing the knot and the best plan of care to improve this, as well as which technique will help most for the issues at hand.
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