How to Massage Muscle Knots and Find Relief
- Cloud Massage Brand Team
Foot and leg pain is one of the most common problems people of all ages face. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, 77% of Americans have experienced this type of pain, but only a few seek help.
While professional medical assistance is important, learning how to massage muscle knots at home could provide the much-needed relief every day.
At-home massage doesn't have to be complicated. With the right approach, it's possible to improve your quality of life and prevent complications.
What Is a Muscle Knot?
A muscle knot is a hard, sore, and tight spot on your muscle. While muscle knots aren't usually dangerous to your health, they could be extremely uncomfortable. For some people, they can even be debilitating.
The professional medical term for muscle knots is myofascial trigger points. They come in two categories; active and latent.
Active trigger points produce an intensely painful sensation in the body even when you don't touch them. Meanwhile, latent trigger points don't ache unless you press on them.
Both types of myofascial trigger points cause discomfort and can prevent you from participating in everyday activities.
If you have latent trigger points, you could be suffering from myofascial pain syndrome. If you have this syndrome, the muscle knot pain doesn't go away but persists or worsens.
The common treatment options are physical therapy, muscle knot massage therapy, relaxation techniques, and pain meds.
Where Do Muscle Knots Occur?
Muscle knots are highly common in the upper back and legs. However, you can also discover them on your lower back, neck, shoulders, calves, and shins.
Besides causing pain in the exact spot where they occur, myofascial trigger points can lead to additional symptoms, including headaches, earaches, jaw pain, and toothaches. Some people can also suffer from insomnia and anxiety.
What Causes Muscle Knots?
The common causes of muscle knots are:
- Muscle overuse– when you are putting too much pressure on the muscles, they may react with knots. This usually happens when you are doing heavy lifting or making repetitive motions.
- Bad posture – if you are constantly sitting in a crooked position, you may be experiencing frequent muscle knotting sensations.
- Tension – if you suffer from emotional and mental stress, your muscles could tense and knot.
- Lack of exercise – muscle fibers need to move. When you don't use them enough, these fibers can stick to each other and form a knot.
- Injuries – if you break, strain, sprain, tear, or twist your muscle, a knot could occur.
Sometimes, muscle knots seem to appear without an obvious reason. You could be putting extra pressure on the muscles without knowing it.
How to Get Rid of Muscle Knots
Muscle knots require your attention. Don't wait for them to go away on their own. If the pain is severe, consider contacting a doctor. Here are a few simple ways to battle muscle knots:
Stretching
If you've been sitting in an uncomfortable position for too long, getting up and stretching could help remove the knot. Regular stretching can prevent knots from occurring in the first place.
Ice or Heat
Ice and heat are excellent pain relievers. The majority of muscle pains can be alleviated by alternating ice and heat. You can apply an ice pack to the knot for a few minutes and then replace it with a heating pad.
With time, you can figure out which approach works the best. Some people prefer using ice while others benefit from heat only.
Don't keep ice packs or heating pads on the muscles for too long. Put one on the knot and leave it there for 10 minutes. Then wait at least 15 minutes before using the next one.
Self-Massage
When you apply pressure to the trigger point, you can relieve the muscle knotting sensation. Self-massage techniques can be highly effective, but sometimes, knots can be hard to reach. In this case, you would need to ask for help.
To massage muscle knots at home, locate the knot and use your fingers to apply pressure on them. Then make small circles around the knot to loosen muscle fibers. Try to press as hard on the knot as the painful sensation allows.
If the muscle knot is in your back, you can put a tennis ball on the floor and roll back and forth on it. You could also consider using manual massaging tools or electronic massagers that also generate heat.
Professional Massage
When a professional therapist performs a massage, they can reach all the hard places and apply as much pressure to the knot as necessary. A therapist can also work on the rest of your muscles to prevent new knots from forming.
If you aren't sure how to do a self-massage at home, you could opt for a professional massage and learn from the therapist. With time, you can figure out which techniques work the best and repeat them at home.
What are muscle knots that crunch with massage?
When you are getting a massage, you may feel your muscles crunch. What you are probably feeling is the breaking down of fibrotic tissues.
Your body creates this type of tissue to repair itself. However, sometimes, it produces too much. As a result, you could feel range motion limitations or even pain. The massage breaks this tissue down and keeps new ones from accumulating.
Relieve Muscle Pain Today
When muscle knots appear, your entire body screams for help. From motion limitations to severe headaches, the consequences of this problem can reduce your quality of life tremendously.
Knowing how to massage muscle knots can help you avoid continuous pain and get back to life as usual.
At Cloud Massage, we've developed a series of revolutionary leg and foot massaging tools that can help you massage muscle knots in the comfort of your own home. Besides removing muscle knots, these tools can reduce inflammation, increase energy, battle stress, and stimulate blood circulation.