Question: What exactly is a muscle "knot" and what is the best way to get rid of it?
Answer: A muscle "knot" in most cases is a discrete section of muscle fibers which is in contraction or spasm. These spasms can often occur at well described tenderpoints or trigger points. The difference between the two being that a tenderpoint will hurt when pressure is applied, while a trigger point will hurt and refer pain to another area of the body.
There are several things which can work together to release muscle knots. The first is just general soft tissue massage in the area. This can help to relax the muscle and release the contraction. The next is counterstrain treatment. The basic principle of counterstrain treatment is to approximate the origin and insertion of the muscle in spasm to allow it to relax and reset itself. This type of treatment can be done easily and very quickly. Direct inhibition (in which direct pressure is applied to the muscle knot) can also be used, but this is generally much more painful than the other techniques. Finally, if the knot will not release with physical manipulation, muscle relaxants and local anesthetic shots can be used to relax the muscle.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
How is a clubbed finger different from a clubbed baby seal?
Okay, here's a serious one. What are allergies?
Post a Comment