Muscle knots are tiny and hard areas of a muscle that resemble bumps and are usually overly sensitive and painful especially when touched. Medically, muscle knots are referred to as myofascial trigger points. They are present even when the muscle is at rest and can simultaneously cause pain in other parts of the body when touched. They spawn from contraction, tightening or tension of the muscle fibers, alternatively known as the fascia.
The area having a muscle knot can end being swollen and inflamed. Besides muscles and joints, headaches can also be apparent as a symptom emanating from muscle knots. This is coupled with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation. There exists varying options that can be used to treat muscle knots such as stretching, rest, exercise, muscle rubs, hot and cold therapy and finally a massage. This article focuses on massage therapy and the way it helps with muscle knots.
Massage Therapy and Muscle Knots
There has been a long debate pertaining to the effectiveness of massage therapy and how it aids with muscle knots. This part of the article looks at the effectiveness of massage therapy in alleviating muscle knots.
- Muscle Pain Relief
Massage helps to relieve any constant or persistent muscular pain and it aids to break the adhesions that culminate into stiffness and consequently unbearable pain. It helps to decompress and release the tension around the muscle tissue. It is therefore not only useful as a preventive measure but it can also help eliminate the contractions that are responsible for the muscle knots.
- Realigning Muscular Layers
This is achieved using deep tissue massage. Strokes and the use of well measured pressure helps to loosen the affected knots. It goes beyond the affected muscle and the area around it and penetrates deeply into the connective tissue. Ultimately, the layers of the muscles are realigned and the problem and pain is significantly reduced.
- Release of Trigger Points
A good massage therapist will not only target the affected muscle knots but will also be able to identify the latent trigger points that are solely responsible for the pain you are experiencing. This will result to the release of these trigger points thus eventually aiding to work out such knots.
- Improved Mobility
Massage helps restore mobility and natural flexibility. The lack of mobility emanates from pain caused by the muscle knots. A massage restores the usual function by availing oxygen to the area through increased blood supply thus disintegrating the physical knots. The pain and spasm cycle is effectively broken. It is good to note that, to attain complete and normal mobility, the massage should be done repetitively to deal with any knots that were essentially niggling and unwavering. This means that by getting massage therapy, you can be able to move comfortably.
- Anti-Inflammatory Response
By stretching out and relaxing the stiff and contracted muscle fiber, an anti-inflammatory response is properly. This helps deal with the swollen areas around the affected trigger zones. Massage thus helps to work out the inflammation around the knots thus swiftly bringing this problem to a better resolve.
- Increased Blood Flow
Massage helps to improve the circulation of the blood in the affected area. This aids to relieve and loosen the area that is mostly affected by the muscular stiffness.
How Frequent Should Massage Therapy Be?
A single session cannot help with muscle knots. Massage should be done severally and the sessions only ought to be separated by lengthy intervals once significant changes and improvements become manifest. Nevertheless, it is important to talk to your massage therapist on the number of times you need to for the therapy, as this usually depends on your recovery rate.
Muscle knots are small but bump-like areas of a muscle that can be painful to touch. They come about when muscle fibers called fascia below them tense and tighten. Since muscle knots can be quite painful, it is important to seek a remedy as soon as possible. One such remedy is massage, as it helps relieve trigger points, increase blood flow, improve mobility, and realign muscular layers. When seeking for massage for your muscle knots, it is important to understand that several types of massage that can help treat muscle knots exist. Your choice ought to be dictated by the intensity and severity of the pain you are experiencing. You should therefore consult your physician or masseuse to make the perfect choice with regard to the most fitting massage for your muscle knots.
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