Muscle knots form parts of the areas of the muscles that are painful when touched. They are hard, bump-like and sensitive as they tend to contract even when the muscles are at rest. Muscle knots are also referred to as myofascial trigger points. This article aims to point out the leading causes, effects as well as treatment of muscle knots.
Common Causes of Muscle Knots
Research has proven over the years that there are some common causes of myofascial trigger points (muscle knots) and they are as follow
1. Poor posture
2. Lack of exercise
3. Emotional and mental stress
4. Sitting for a long period which could be as a result of a sedentary lifestyle
5. A twist, break, tear and other forms of injury.
6. Excessive usage of one's muscles
7. dehydration
To mention, the muscle knots are very harmful as they cause pain to the affected persons. Some of the effects of myofascial trigger points include:
1. Shoulder pains
2. Severe headaches
3. Neck pains
4. Back pains
5. Hand pain
6. Tennis elbow
7. Carpal tunnel syndrome
Myofascial trigger points are found in some strategic places within the human body which includes; the neck, shoulders, back, etc. they cause inflammation on the affected areas. Once it is observed, adequate attention must be given to ensure that it is adequately eliminated.
Muscle Knot (myofascial trigger points) Therapy
It usually takes time to eliminate the muscle knot from affected areas especially when they are not noticed on time. It takes the help of professional medical practitioners to get a neat job done. It involves a technical process of breaking knotted tissues and inflamed nerves. Below are some therapies affected persons can apply to treat the myofascial trigger points.
Prolong Relaxation
Any person affected with myofascial trigger points must ensure that he gets adequate rest because relaxation is an essential tool in combating muscle knots. Get rid of the cause of muscles knots. Some activities listed in the beginning part of the article might be responsible for the muscle knot. You have to get rid of such activities. You may need to allocate more time to your sleeping hours as wells as make good use of the right sleeping positions.
Release Tension
This is done deliberately by stretching the muscles of your body. You have to engage in this activity consciously. Holding the stretching position for 30 seconds will produce a better result. Make sure you maintain some level of gentility while participating in stretching activities.
Engage in Regular Exercise
Once you subject the body to regular exercise, it goes a long way to enhance the performance of the various muscles in the body. Therefore, regular exercise is an excellent therapy for muscle knots. Some of the activities we recommend to you include swimming, jumping and other arm movements. Engaging in aerobic exercise helps to ensure that there is proper blood flow in the human system.
Apply muscle rub
The application of a muscle rub is a very effective therapy to combat muscle knots. Therapists recommend that the muscle rubs can be applied twice a day on the affected areas. Ensure that you carry out a patch test before any application and also make sure that the rub is thoroughly used on the affected areas for effectiveness.
These are some of the treatments that can be applied to treat muscle knots. You can also decide to engage the services of a physical therapist as they are trained to become professionals in this field. If you are a victim of this ailment, you do not need to be afraid because after practicing our recommended therapies, muscle knots will be a thing of the past for you!
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