Muscle Knots Research Paper

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Many people suffer from sensitive spots in muscle, often called muscle knots. Knots in our muscles can develop suddenly or over time, last for a few hours or the long term and often leaving us confused on how we got them.

We call them "muscle knot" because they feel like our muscles are tied up in-- you guessed it -- tight knots. Unfortunately these knots are extremely common. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t experienced a muscle knot at some point. Though they can be problematical, they can also be quite manageable.

What exactly are muscle knots?
When you say that you have “muscle knots,” you are actually talking about myofascial trigger points. There are no actual knots involved, of course though they do feel like knots.
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Fascia is one of the 3 types of dense connective tissue (the others being ligaments and tendons) and it extends without interruption from the top of the head to the tip of the toes.

The term "muscle knot" is used to describe a variety of painful issues affecting the fascia, such as areas of muscle that are painful with pressure or a highly irritable localized spot. A myofascial trigger point is a small patch of tightly contracted muscle tissue in an isolated spasm, (not a whole-muscle spasm like a “charlie horse” or cramp). The tissue can become thick, tough and feel knotted. When this patch of muscle tissue spasms the knotted muscle cuts off its own blood supply, which irritates it even more — a vicious cycle.

The "muscle knot" or trigger point can occur in muscle, the muscle-tendon junctions, bursa, or fat pad. Sometimes, trigger points can be accompanied by inflammation and if they remain long enough, what was once healthy fascia is replaced with inelastic scar
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Eventually, the neuromuscular system becomes less efficient, leading to premature fatigue, chronic pain and injury and less efficient motor skill performance.

It has been speculated that trigger points may lead to a variety of sports injuries - from camps to more serious muscle and tendon tears. The theory, which seems plausible, is that trigger points compromise the tissue structure in which they are located, placing a greater strain on other tissues that must compensate for its weakness.

How do I get the knots out?
Self-myofascial release (SMFR) is a relatively simple technique that active individuals can use to alleviate trigger points. It can aid in the release of soft tissue, myofascial adhesions and fascial restrictions. Ultimately it helps aid in the relaxation of tense tissues.

Myofascial Release techniques utilize an individual’s body weight and/or muscular force along with various devices such as the foam roller which can be found in a variety of densities, tennis balls, hard rubber balls, golf balls, medicine balls, thumb pressure, pressure knobs, and a device known as “The Stick.”

The Goal of Self Myofascial

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