KNOTS
We all have them but what are they and how did we get them?
Knots in your muscles are also known as trigger points. A trigger point is a small area of tightly contracted muscle, an isolated spasm affecting a small patch of muscle tissue. This is opposed to a whole-muscle spasm like a “charlie horse” calf or a quadriceps cramp.
Trigger points are doing a job. They have tightened up for a reason. It could be that they are holding on to a muscle that has been injured and with the knot in place this allows that muscle to continue to do its job. It could be that the knot has formed due to a muscle holding a posture, or doing an action that it’s not supposed to. For example: the knots we get in our neck when we sleep funny. That is likely a knot formed by neck muscles having held the head in a position that it’s not used to doing or having had the window open while we slept and made the muscle cold.
Trigger points are also known to form when our bodies have a larger than normal amount of metabolic waste in it. This means that the knots form due to a pooling of lactic acid and other by products from muscles being used. Pooling happens often because of poorer than normal circulation. If your pipes for your blood are squished due to tight muscles then you can be confident in thinking the blood, which carries fresh oxygen to the muscles as well as picks up waste product (like lactic acid) is not going to get there as efficiently as it should therefore causing a knot.
Massage is fabulous for increasing your circulation. It opens up the pipes for the blood to reach the muscles, drop off fresh oxygen and picks up waste. This allows your muscles to maintain their proper balance, meaning no knots. Massage is also beneficial in loosening up the tightened muscles and setting you to a knot free muscle.
See me at The Human Performance Centre in the River Valley rink. Please call to make your appointment with Alexandra Sullivan RMT at 738-8299.
KNOTS
We all have them but what are they and how did we get them?
Knots in your muscles are also known as trigger points. A trigger point is a small area of tightly contracted muscle, an isolated spasm affecting a small patch of muscle tissue. This is opposed to a whole-muscle spasm like a “charlie horse” calf or a quadriceps cramp.
Trigger points are doing a job. They have tightened up for a reason. It could be that they are holding on to a muscle that has been injured and with the knot in place this allows that muscle to continue to do its job. It could be that the knot has formed due to a muscle holding a posture, or doing an action that it’s not supposed to. For example: the knots we get in our neck when we sleep funny. That is likely a knot formed by neck muscles having held the head in a position that it’s not used to doing or having had the window open while we slept and made the muscle cold.
Trigger points are also known to form when our bodies have a larger than normal amount of metabolic waste in it. This means that the knots form due to a pooling of lactic acid and other by products from muscles being used. Pooling happens often because of poorer than normal circulation. If your pipes for your blood are squished due to tight muscles then you can be confident in thinking the blood, which carries fresh oxygen to the muscles as well as picks up waste product (like lactic acid) is not going to get there as efficiently as it should therefore causing a knot.
Massage is fabulous for increasing your circulation. It opens up the pipes for the blood to reach the muscles, drop off fresh oxygen and picks up waste. This allows your muscles to maintain their proper balance, meaning no knots. Massage is also beneficial in loosening up the tightened muscles and setting you to a knot free muscle.
See me at The Human Performance Centre in the River Valley rink. Please call to make your appointment with Alexandra Sullivan RMT at 738-8299.
