A muscle knot is the lay term for what are also known as trigger points, sometimes abbreviated as TrP. These are sensitive points all over your body, but mostly on the back and neck that are particularly sensitive to irritation.
A muscle with a knot is hard to the touch. To release a muscle knot, follow the muscle with. the tip of your fingers until you find its starting or ending point (where it connects to the bone though a harder tissue-ligament). Press the ligament towards the bone, until you feel the relaxation of the muscle tension. If you are developing muscle knots frequently from lifting weights in your shoulders, neck, or upper, or middle back, the likely cause is a postural issue. For example, if you have rounded shoulders from sitting in a office, your back muscles are already overstretched because your shoulders are rounded forwards.  A muscle knot is the lay term for what are also known as trigger points, sometimes abbreviated as TrP. These are sensitive points all over your body, but mostly on the back and neck that are particularly sensitive to irritation. Even if we aren’t 100% sure what causes muscle knots, we do know for sure how to identify them. Muscle knots are: 1  Pain that occurs in the fascia or skeletal muscle. 2  Nodules or banded muscle that can be felt when palpating the point. 3  Reproducible when the trigger point is palpated. Muscle knots can cause pain in two ways: (1) latent trigger points, which are knots that only hurt when you put pressure on them, and (2) active trigger points, which are knots that actively refer pain along your neural pathways, causing it in non-localized areas. To treat the muscle knot, simply roll the massage ball pressed either to the wall or the floor one side, and your body on the other over your muscle. You can use two tennis balls, or TPT massage balls if you want to go firmer or deeper. 3) Overstimulation – Strenuous exercise and sport activities, especially lifting weights. If you are developing muscle knots frequently from lifting weights in your shoulders, neck, or upper, or middle back, the likely cause is a postural issue. For example, if you have rounded shoulders from sitting in a office, your back muscles are already overstretched because your shoulders are rounded forwards. To treat the muscle knot, simply roll the massage ball pressed either to the wall or the floor one side, and your body on the other over your muscle. You can use two tennis balls, or TPT massage balls if you want to go firmer or deeper. A common problem for active people, muscle knots—technically called Myofascial Trigger Points, or MTPS—feel like a small knot to your fingertips. These knots can range from the size of a pinhead in smaller muscles to the size of your thumb in larger muscles. To treat the muscle knot, simply roll the massage ball pressed either to the wall or the floor one side, and your body on the other over your muscle. You can use two tennis balls, or TPT massage balls if you want to go firmer or deeper. Treatment – what to do if you already have muscle knots: 1  Rest – If you’re in pain, it is your body’s way of saying it needs a break. 2  Maybe, you take a few days away from the computer or a few days away from the spin bike. 3  You need a break from whatever is causing the pain. Prevention – how to avoid getting muscle knots in the first place: 1  Diet and hydration – Drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet. 2  Foods such as alcohol, sugary caffeinated drinks, processed and fast foods all play a part in dehydrating you. This new hard and lumpy feeling is a muscle ‘knot’. Muscle ‘knots’ are incredibly common but common doesn’t mean they are normal or harmless. Chronic stress on our muscles creates micro-tearing of muscle tissue, which creates scar tissue. Prevention – how to avoid getting muscle knots in the first place: 1  Diet and hydration – Drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet. 2  Foods such as alcohol, sugary caffeinated drinks, processed and fast foods all play a part in dehydrating you. One current knot-science thought is that the fibers that make up your muscle tissue contract in response to some extra calcium in the area. This inflammation causes targeted swelling, soreness, weakness, and (of course) pain when you touch the affected trigger zones. When this kind of pain doesn't go away, the muscle can swell and harden into a bump (or knot). Although there's no scientific consensus on why these knots form, we know they tend to show up after the muscle is injured or strained due to repetitive motions. And, they often occur in the shoulders, back, or neck. The phenomenon of muscle knots is not uncommon. Essentially, muscle knots are sections within the various muscles of the body that have constricted and create pain that is consistent. The condition is common enough to merit the application of a scientific name, which is myofascial trigger points. To release a muscle knot, follow the muscle with. the tip of your fingers until you find its starting or ending point (where it connects to the bone though a harder tissue-ligament). Press the ligament towards the bone, until you feel the relaxation of the muscle tension.
http://www.wisegeekhealth.com/what-exactly-are-muscle-knots.htm http://dailyhealthpost.com/how-to-treat-muscle-knots-in-your-back-neck-shoulders/ https://blog.udemy.com/muscle-knots/ http://www.builtlean.com/2012/06/07/muscle-knots/ http://www.builtlean.com/2012/06/07/muscle-knots/ http://www.builtlean.com/2012/06/07/muscle-knots/ https://www.athletico.com/2014/05/01/what-is-a-muscle-knot/ https://www.athletico.com/2014/05/01/what-is-a-muscle-knot/ http://www.refinery29.com/2014/11/77415/muscle-knot-facts http://www.wisegeekhealth.com/what-exactly-are-muscle-knots.htm
what is a muscle knot