Knots in back...

[sittinduck]

The other day I was given a brief massage by a professional massage therapist- as she was rubbing my back she mentioned how many knots I have in my back and she mentioned it repeatedly...In my mind I thought those are not knots they are my muscles... Anyone know if they (the knots) are normal for weight lifting?

duck....

 

[tneah]

Certainly they are. My upper back gets so tight and knotted up that my own chiropractor can't adjust it!x( Ouch. I need a massage-which I never do!

 

[kathryn]

The 'knots' she is refering to are probably trigger points, which are points of tension in the muscle (which can cause pain in a completely different area). They are not specifically from weight lifting, but can be due to just about anything: from sitting at a desk for long periods, to not stretching enough.

 

[materialsgirl]

>The 'knots' she is refering to are probably trigger points,
>which are points of tension in the muscle (which can cause
>pain in a completely different area). They are not
>specifically from weight lifting, but can be due to just about
>anything: from sitting at a desk for long periods, to not
>stretching enough.


This is where my knots come from - sitting at a desk in front of a computer all day. Ugh. x( My massage therapist really has to dig in to my trapezius every time I see her, and the knots just won't give up the ghost. Massage helps, but doesn't completely eliminate them.

Massage therapists will also call these trigger points "adhesions", and it's basically a place in the muscle that has contracted so much that it is "stuck" in the contracted state. They are caused by many things, but should definitely not be considered NORMAL. They're quite bad for your muscles, and can limit your mobility and strength severely. This is why I get regular deep tissue massage - to prevent msyelf from becoming a big ball of adhesions. The massage hurts, but in a good way.

 

[AEHaight]

Timely post for me - I have (painful) knots in my trapezius right now. I know it's from too much computer time. I find that more concentration on yoga can help tremendously

 

[kathryn]

> The massage hurts, but in a
>good way.

I know exactly what you mean!

Even a short, deep massage can help: I stopped for a 10-minute "quicky" back/shoulder/neck massage at a booth in the Chicago airport (during a 2 1/2-hour layover), and though the guy's digging his arm into my traps brought tears to my eyes at times, it felt SOOO much better afterwards. And the tension was relieved for at least 3 days.

 

[lederr]

I had a knot in my right shoulder that would not go away despite very deep tissue massage therapy, medication, etc. I decided to see if accupuncture would help...couldn't hurt. I went for one session and my knot was completely gone. I was pleasantly surprised.