We’ve experienced it before…a knot in your neck, back or other muscle that creates pain and tightness. What is a muscle knot anyway? A muscle knot is not actually a knot in the muscle at all. In fact, many Registered Massage Therapists use the term “adhesions” or “trigger points”, which are tight bands of muscle fibers that are stuck together which you or a therapist can physically feel upon touch. Adhesions are constantly stuck in a contracted state and affects the way the muscle works. When muscle fibers get like this, they get overused and stop bringing in new oxygen and blood and will start building up lactic acid and toxic wastes. This also makes the surrounding muscle fibers tight because they are constantly being pulled by that central point of the adhesion. All of this leads to an increase in nerve receptor activity, which can increase pain in the surrounding areas. When there are multiple adhesions in a muscle, we call this a trigger point. Trigger points are unique in the sense that when you press on them, they can refer pain to another area of the body. An example of this would be pressing in a painful area in the middle back and feeling pain in the neck as well.

It is very difficult for muscle knots to be stretched out on your own. If this is the case, how can we get rid of them? Our Registered Massage Therapists at Revitamax Rehab & Wellness are trained to help you with muscle knots, as well as a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions including back and neck pain, headaches, rotator cuff injuries, tennis elbow, hip and knee arthritis, and ankle injuries. Our registered massage therapists use a variety of soft and deep tissue techniques to decrease pain and improve health of your muscle and joints.