Muscle knots, also known as trigger points, are areas of tight muscle fibers that can cause pain and discomfort. They can develop for a variety of reasons, including overuse, injury, poor posture, and stress. This can all lead to symptoms including headaches, neck pain, back pain and even referred pain down the arms/hands, in the form of pins and needles.

When a muscle knot forms, it creates a tight band of muscle fibers that can restrict blood flow and cause pain. This tight band can also affect surrounding muscles, leading to referred pain in other areas of the body. So the muscle fibers don’t actually tie themselves in to a “knot”, it’s more of a grouping together tightly.

There are a few common ways to identify muscle knots, including:

  • Local tenderness or pain
  • A palpable bump or “knot” in the muscle
  • Referred pain in another area of the body

Anatomical image showing trigger points in the back, shoulders, neck & chest.

Treating muscle knots

To treat muscle knots, it typically involves stimulating and increasing the circulation in that area through methods such as sports massage or deep tissue massage, stretching, and foam rolling. Even placing physical heat on to the area can get good results too, such as taking a hot bath or applying a hot water bottle to the area. Muscles naturally like to stay warm, as this is beneficial for circulating blood through the tissue and back around the body.

So, how can we prevent these muscle knots from forming?

Maintaining good posture can go quite a long way with helping this, especially paying attention to your desk setup, if you spend most of the day sat at one. Stretching regularly is also a great way use your muscles through their full range of motion, as well as avoiding repetitive movements that can lead to an overuse injury. It’s also important to try and manage, as best as you can, any underlying conditions that could be contributing to the muscle tension, such as stress and anxiety.

In conclusion, muscle knots are very common, and although they can cause pain and discomfort, the key is to find ways to limit this and manage it, rather than trying to avoid them altogether. It is possible to manage and alleviate symptoms through the methods that we discussed above, and especially using massage as a form of regular maintenance along the way.