How to Prevent Muscle Knots
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Muscle knots are hard, sensitive areas of the muscles that contract and tighten even when your muscles are resting. When touched, the tension in these muscle fibers can trigger pain in other areas of your body.
Another name for muscle knots is trigger points. Muscle knots can be caused by the following:
- Poor posture
- Injuring or overusing your muscles
- A sedentary lifestyle
Other factors that may cause muscle knots include unhealthy eating habits, anxiety and stress, and dehydration.
Muscle knots can occur in any part of the body but are usually found in the neck, shoulder, and back. They can also show up in your gluteal muscles.
Muscle knots cause pain and aching sensations in your joints and muscles. When you put your hand around a muscle knot, you can feel some tense, bumpy, or swollen knot. A knot could also feel contracted or tight, even when you attempt to relax, and they are usually sensitive to touch. Sometimes, the affected area may swell up or become inflamed.
Muscle knots can cause symptoms in non-muscle areas of the body, including:
- Earaches
- Toothaches
- Headaches
Some people may experience depression, anxiety, stress, and difficulty sleeping.
Conventional treatment for a muscle knot
You have to break the knotted tissue and calm inflamed nerves to eliminate muscle knots. Here’s what you can do to find relief.
1. Have some rest
Give your body some rest if you have muscle knots. Take time off from any activities that may cause knots or that may cause discomfort, and pain. Instead, spend as much time as you can relaxing. For example, you can sleep longer than usual or use pillows to support your body while sleeping.
2. Exercise
Muscle knots may be relieved with aerobic exercise. For example, if the knots are in your neck or shoulders, do swimming, jumping jacks, or other arm movements that work the muscles in your neck and shoulders. This will stretch the muscles and increase the flow of blood to them. Increased…
