I have a lot of stress in my life, like most people I run into. I am also a creature of habit and I tend to sit and stand in the same position and walk in all the same places. I even had lines in my carpet in my old apartment because I took the same exact path from the front door to the kitchen by going around the coffee table and then between the sofa and lazy boy. When I sit in my desk chair, I slouch. When I go for a long walk I always twist my torso a bit around the stitch in my side. I know that I always get knots in the same place and so do my clients. So, why does the knots always come back?
The definition of a Knot is (paraphrased from memory from my school notes):
An area of muscle fibers and nerves and connective tissue bound up together preventing oxygen and nutrients from reaching the muscle.
As a massage therapist, I know I can work out a knot and sometimes it will go away and sometimes it comes back. Usually, however, they come back when what is causing them in the first place hasn’t been addressed. Muscles are a little like ropes. If you pull on a rope too much, it will start to fray. If you want to reinforce a rope, you have to knot it. Hence, if you have a muscle that is being pulled too long, it will knot up. All muscles in the body have an opposing muscle (or sometimes a few) that pull in the opposite direction. A good example would be the biceps and triceps in your upper arms. Chances are, if you have a knot in your back, there is a muscle in the front of your body that is too contracted and is pulling the ones in the back too long.
Most people get knots in the back of their bodies. If you come see me for a massage, I most likely will work on the front of your body first before working on your back. Unfortunately, if you have poor posture, even if I get all your opposing muscles in a relaxed, normal position, once you return to your habits of slouching or whatever you do, you will get over-elongated muscles and knots. Old knots that are no longer fighting to prevent an injury in your muscles (ie: getting pulled too long and start “fraying”) will release and won’t come back.
Knots that are still fighting will keep coming back.
So, that knot behind your shoulder that keeps coming back? Its fighting. And that is a good thing if you don’t want your shoulder muscles to get hurt. You want it to go away? Visit your local, friendly massage therapist! He/she will massage it out, but I can’t guarantee it won’t go away without a little work on your part too.
The definition of a Knot is (paraphrased from memory from my school notes):
An area of muscle fibers and nerves and connective tissue bound up together preventing oxygen and nutrients from reaching the muscle.
As a massage therapist, I know I can work out a knot and sometimes it will go away and sometimes it comes back. Usually, however, they come back when what is causing them in the first place hasn’t been addressed. Muscles are a little like ropes. If you pull on a rope too much, it will start to fray. If you want to reinforce a rope, you have to knot it. Hence, if you have a muscle that is being pulled too long, it will knot up. All muscles in the body have an opposing muscle (or sometimes a few) that pull in the opposite direction. A good example would be the biceps and triceps in your upper arms. Chances are, if you have a knot in your back, there is a muscle in the front of your body that is too contracted and is pulling the ones in the back too long.
Most people get knots in the back of their bodies. If you come see me for a massage, I most likely will work on the front of your body first before working on your back. Unfortunately, if you have poor posture, even if I get all your opposing muscles in a relaxed, normal position, once you return to your habits of slouching or whatever you do, you will get over-elongated muscles and knots. Old knots that are no longer fighting to prevent an injury in your muscles (ie: getting pulled too long and start “fraying”) will release and won’t come back.
Knots that are still fighting will keep coming back.
So, that knot behind your shoulder that keeps coming back? Its fighting. And that is a good thing if you don’t want your shoulder muscles to get hurt. You want it to go away? Visit your local, friendly massage therapist! He/she will massage it out, but I can’t guarantee it won’t go away without a little work on your part too.
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