Muscle knots are small, bump like areas of muscle that can be painful to the touch. The medical term for muscle is called Myofascial Trigger Points. The knots occur when muscle tissues called fascia are tensed & tight.
Myofascial Trigger Points can cause pain & affect range of motion, so early treatment is recommended. Muscle knots can develop almost anywhere on the body where muscle or fascia is present. Muscle knots cause what is called " referred pain." When you press on the trigger point, the pain spreads from the trigger point location to a nearby muscle. Sometimes the muscle my move or twitch when the knot is pressed. This symptom helps therapist to differentiate trigger point from a tender point ( an area that hurts only when pressed and doesn't radiate to other muscles.
Most common sites for muscles knots or Trigger Points: Shins, neck, shoulders, lower back, calf muscles. Additional symptoms related to Muscle knots include jaw pain, lower back pain, ringing in the ears & tension headaches.
Common causes of muscles knots are: stress & tension, poor posture, sitting, standing or laying for too long without stretching, injuries related lifting or repetitive movement.
Ways to relieve Muscle Knots include: Therapeutic Massage ( our most recommended), Trigger Point injections of local anesthetic, steroids or saline, mechanical vibration ( we also recommend), pulsed ultrasound and several other treatments. Whatever treatment you decide be sure to do your homework to choose the one that will give YOU the best benefits.
Preventing Muscle knots, practice good posture and engage in regular physical activity. Many knots develop from repeat trauma to the muscle, so to prevent overuse switch things up a bit. If you usually hike daily, add one to two days of walking to your schedule.
M.
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