What's all this fuss about KNOTS?

Perhaps, when you have gone to get a massage you have heard the therapist refer to knots.  Maybe the image here is what comes to mind...  Well, the knots an MT talk about can certainly make you FEEL all tangled up, but it's not exactly what they are referring to!

What exactly is a knot? 

Knot is the more common word used for the scientific term myofascial trigger point or trigger site.  Essentially, a knot is a section within the muscle of the body that has been constricted, creating a nodule causing pain that is consistent.  The knot becomes hypersensitive and causes unexplained pain to radiate from the local area of tenderness to broader areas, sometimes distant from the knot itself.  This phenomenon is known as referred pain. 

How did I get this knot?

There are numerous contributing factors that account for the formation of knots.  The biggest culprit is stress.  Stress is known as mental, emotional, or physical strain/tension on the human body.  When your body is stressed it goes into the flight or fight mode. In this condition the muscles contract and stay engaged for a long period of time. This contraction severely inhibits the cleansing fluids of blood and lymph to that area.  Without proper cleansing of the area, ‘toxins’ accumulate, cluster, and congeal.  Once the knot is set in the muscle it restricts optimal movement of that muscle group and paves the way for a chain reaction of straining a body part.  Another cause for knots is consuming foods that are not particularly nutritious for the body such as rich foods, fried foods, over processed foods, or alcohol.  The body has to work harder at breaking these things down so it can’t attend to cleansing and repairing the daily wear and tear placed on it.

Hmmm, can you give me an analogy? 

I like the mental picture I give clients that ask this question.  Imagine you have a bundle if knitting yarn. You can twist it, stretch it, and scrunch it all up without any difficulty or obstructions. This is the state your muscles should be if they’re functioning healthfully.  Now, imagine taking a whole tube of crazy glue and dribbling that crazy glue on the bundle of yarn in several different spots.  Leave it to dry over night, or a couple of days, or a few years...  (Most people are too busy to pay attention to these knots right away!)  Then, try to twist it, stretch it, and scrunch it all up.  Not so easy to do anymore, it is a heck of a lot harder, huh?!  This is the state your muscles are in when they are all "knotted up".

How do I get rid of my knot? 

MY solution for you, MASSAGE… of course!  When you come in for a massage I can physically examine the affected area by feeling the knot to determine its size, shape, firmness, or location.  Then by the numerous massage techniques such as compression, cross-fiber release, and stretching I can break up the knot  my flooding the area with cleansing blood and lymph.  ... Walla, NO KNOT, that's how to get rid of knots!!!

Cheers,
Yvonne L Larson | LA's Neck Work Expert
http://www.facebook.com/NeckworkExpert