With many people working from home these days, it’s no wonder if you start to get more cramps, aches and muscle knots throughout the day. Spending a lot of time in front of a computer isn’t always such a bad thing, as long as you’re also getting the exercise you need to keep your body active. Innovative Pain Solutions in Orlando knows how important it is to take care of your body. We’ve been treating chronic pain and body ailments for years.
What Causes The Knots?
These knots are hard, sensitive areas of muscles that tighten and contract, whenever and wherever, even if your muscles are at rest. They are usually found in your back, shoulders, gluteal muscles, and neck, but can also be triggered anywhere on your body. Knots in your muscles typically cause aching sensations and pain, both in the muscles and in the joints. It may feel swollen, tense, sensitive or bumpy upon touch, and can become inflamed. The muscle may also be tight and contracted, even when you’re trying to relax, and can cause symptoms in other areas of your body, like headaches, earaches and toothaches. The main cause of muscle knots can vary, but it’s typically from an overuse or injury to the muscle, a sedentary lifestyle or poor posture. It can also stem from dehydration, stress, anxiety and unhealthy eating habits.
Muscle Knot Treatments
Getting a knot to dissipate often takes time, as you will need to break up the knotted tissue and calm the inflamed nerves. Resting is often an effective tool as it stops the activities that may have caused the knot to begin with, such as overuse of the muscle, and stopping anything that causes further pain or discomfort. The rest itself may be sleeping in a little more, or laying out on a chair or couch for an extended period of time. Gently stretching and elongating the muscles can help to release tension from your body. Be sure to hold the stretches for at least thirty seconds, and allow your body to slowly release the stretch to avoid any further injury or discomfort. Don’t force your body into any positions, either, just what feels comfortable and relieving to you and your muscles. If your knot is in your shoulder or neck areas, exercising lightly can relieve some of that pressure. Exercises like swimming and jumping jacks can increase your blood supply and stretch out your affected muscles.
In conjunction with other therapies, hot and cold therapy can help with those persistent knots. You can either use one or the other, or in combination of each other. Cold compresses constrict the blood vessels, reducing swelling, while heat relaxes and loosens stiff muscles, relieving pain. You can use a heating pad or taking a warm bath can soothe and may increase blood flow, which can promote healing. For cold therapy, apply a cold compress for ten minutes, then remove it for 15 minutes, using this method multiple times if need be until you start to feel relief. Using a muscle rub twice a day onto the affected areas will soften and relax knots, along with providing some cooling relief. Find a formula that contains menthol, capsaicin or camphor and do a patch test to ensure your skin doesn’t become irritated before using it as a full muscle rub.
For harder knots that won’t go away, physical or massage therapy may be your next options. Working with a professional can help you find relief from the trouble areas that are staying constricted and painful. Massage therapy offers multiple different types of massage to provide the best comfort. You can try massaging the area yourself, but if it’s in a hard to reach area, seeking treatment may be easier for you. Swedish massage uses gentler massage techniques, while deep tissue massage oftentimes uses deeper, more forceful strokes to release more chronic or persistent muscle tension.
Seeking Treatment
No matter how your muscle knot came to be, there are different ways of helping to relieve that tension and get you back up and moving again. Taking the time to let it heal on its own is an easy option, along with applying hot and cold therapies to release some of that tension. If the knot simply won’t go away, though, it is not a bad idea to seek professional treatment to ensure the muscles are dealt with properly and leave no lasting effects.
Contact Us
Are your muscle knots not going away? Innovative Pain Solutions in Orlando will help assist you in relieving that tension and helping your muscles relax back into their normal positions, leaving you ready to tackle the next day. Call us today!
