It is summer again and my massage practice is in full swing keeping me busy and sadly away from the blog. I am booked up with farmers, gardeners and other outdoor workers who are suffering from a variety of repetitive stress injuries and general fatigue looking for some relief. If only I could type and massage at the same time... hummmm... Anyway, all that work has inspired today's post!
I have found that every single one of my clients has been complaining about "knots". Knots in the shoulders, knots in the low back, knots in the calves and even knots in the jaw. But, what are these knots? What has the muscles all tied up? I have carved out some time to post so I can give you my opinion (that's right only an opinion, the science surrounding muscle knots is still variable and there is even some controversy about what they are and how to treat them). Without further ado, some awesome info on what it is tying your muscles up when you say you have a knot!
The Gnarly Nugget
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| Some of your muscles may sound like they are MADE of this! |
There are a few different theories as to what these little packing peanuts are, here is the one that seems the most plausible to me: When muscles work they have to move around and over each-other all the while using up fuel (glycogen and oxygen) and producing waste (carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and acid phosphate).
This waste can irritate the muscle fibers and also dehydrate the fascia. So, all this action in the tight space between muscles makes the fibers super bummed(I mean, gosh, I would be!) and they start to get gummed up. That spot where there is so much friction and waste build up causes a small mass of solidified acid and facial adhesion. Voila! A crunchy little knot.
The Tight Rope
Often times when I am working on a client my hands will 'bump' over a section of muscle that feels like a rope. Or if they are super bound up like a hunk of of rebar... There is defiantly a debate over whether or not a 'tight' muscle means anything for the overall musculature. I have even read a few studies that say the pain felt in the trapizius can often be coming from the softer parts of the muscle.
What I know is this: If a muscle is holding a contraction when it should be at rest that's an issue. I like to think of the fibers of the muscles like a hand. An open and relaxed hand is like a muscle at rest and a closed fist is like a muscle contracting. When a muscle is half contracted (called hypertonic tissue) it's like a hand making a claw shape. It can't quite let go and it can't contract properly either. So, it stays tight sore and forms a rope-like knot.
The Spaz Attack
This is the type of "knot" that when a client walks in my treatment room and describes it I have to tell them to take it seriously and rest up. When a muscle becomes tight or knotted up all of a sudden and feels like it is grabbing and gripping it is most likely a spasm.
WebMD defines a spasm as "the involuntary contraction of one ore more muscles." This can happen for a few different reasons: dehydration, lack of electrolytes or hyper extension to name a few. The reason I see most in my office as the cause of this nasty knot is over use and not enough rest to refuel the fibers.
When the muscles are working, contracting and letting go, they use up a lot of fuel. And as they get down to the last resources they start to fatigue. Have ever been doing push ups and you get to the moment where your arms are shaking? That is the fatigue point, your muscles just don't have the resources to keep doing their job any more! So, one safety response from the brain is to send the "Nobody move!" signal to the over worked muscle set. They go on lock-down becoming hard and painful knots.
The more you knooooow
I know what you are thinking, "Great, now I know why my muscles feel like crap. What can I do about it?" There are plenty of ways to avoid these gnarly knots in your day-to-day work. And, of course, ways to treat them when you feel that painful little(or big) pull. But, for that info you will have to stay tuned! The next post will be all about keeping your working body as knot free as possible. With tips on how to get rid of and recover from these three types of knots. Leaving you with a cliff hanger is sure to make me post super soon, even if I have to work on knots with one hand and type with the other.
Just kidding!
Thanks for reading and happy summertime to you all!
~Lydia
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| What's going on in your tissues is a lot less scary that this! |
What I know is this: If a muscle is holding a contraction when it should be at rest that's an issue. I like to think of the fibers of the muscles like a hand. An open and relaxed hand is like a muscle at rest and a closed fist is like a muscle contracting. When a muscle is half contracted (called hypertonic tissue) it's like a hand making a claw shape. It can't quite let go and it can't contract properly either. So, it stays tight sore and forms a rope-like knot.
The Spaz Attack
 |
| I just couldn't help myself...hehe |
WebMD defines a spasm as "the involuntary contraction of one ore more muscles." This can happen for a few different reasons: dehydration, lack of electrolytes or hyper extension to name a few. The reason I see most in my office as the cause of this nasty knot is over use and not enough rest to refuel the fibers.
When the muscles are working, contracting and letting go, they use up a lot of fuel. And as they get down to the last resources they start to fatigue. Have ever been doing push ups and you get to the moment where your arms are shaking? That is the fatigue point, your muscles just don't have the resources to keep doing their job any more! So, one safety response from the brain is to send the "Nobody move!" signal to the over worked muscle set. They go on lock-down becoming hard and painful knots.
The more you knooooow
I know what you are thinking, "Great, now I know why my muscles feel like crap. What can I do about it?" There are plenty of ways to avoid these gnarly knots in your day-to-day work. And, of course, ways to treat them when you feel that painful little(or big) pull. But, for that info you will have to stay tuned! The next post will be all about keeping your working body as knot free as possible. With tips on how to get rid of and recover from these three types of knots. Leaving you with a cliff hanger is sure to make me post super soon, even if I have to work on knots with one hand and type with the other.
Just kidding!
Thanks for reading and happy summertime to you all!
~Lydia
