I get “knots” in my back, neck, and shoulders all the time and I’m just wondering what causes them. I’ve heard that they’re actually calcium deposits on the muscle that you have to have worked out and dissipated. I’ve also heard that it’s because the muscle is overly tense and releasing some kind of acid. What is the real cause for them?
Also, is there anything, other than exercise, that you can do to prevent or alleviate the knots?
Trigger Points
A “trigger point” (TP), which is often caused by the muscle being overloaded, is a thick knot in a muscle which is palpable and tender (even painful to the touch).
Trigger points can be caused by: training errors, inadequate preparation, worn shoes or equipment, poor biomechanics, muscle fatigue, poor flexibility, nutritional factors (vitamin deficiency), psychological factors (lack of sleep, stress).
Treatment of a TP (separating the fibres of the muscle knot) can be achieved by applying direct pressure to the point for 10 to 20 seconds, gradually releasing the pressure and repeating the process 4 of 5 times. The amount of pressure, which will depend on the sensitivity of the TP, can be applied by using one or both thumbs.
A number of treatments may be required but as the sensitivity (pain) of the TP reduces it will become harder to find. If after a couple of treatments the pain does not reduce then you should seek medical advice. Alternative approach to treating a TP is sports massage where petrissage, friction and effleurage techniques can be used to help breakdown the TP.
Trigger points are an early warning to a potential serious injury so checking for TPs is very beneficial. A regular massage is well worth is as the therapists, when conducting a massages, can check for TPs and treat them.
Make it specific
Resistance training can fortify muscles and make them less susceptible to damage, especially if the strength building exercises involve movements that are similar to those associated with the sport. Time should be devoted to developing the muscle groups, strength training, appropriate to the demands of your sport. If you are a thrower then lots of time should be spent developing muscles at the front of the shoulder which increases the force with which you can throw, but you must also work systematically on the muscles at the back of the shoulder which control and stabilise the shoulder joint.http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/injury.htm
Q: What can be done about a muscle near my shoulder blade that is sore all the time?
A: From what it sounds like you have what is called a muscle “Tender Point” or what is more commonly known as a muscle “knot”, but I cannot make a definitive diagnosis without taking a proper history and exam. A muscle consists of many muscle fibres that align in a parallel manner.
When injury or insult occurs to a muscle, the muscle protects itself by forming scar tissue. Scar tissue forms from cross-linking of muscle fibres. Rather than the muscle fibres aligning in a parallel fashion, the muscle fibres cross over each other and form adhesions. It is like the muscle is now stuck together, and the muscle loses its overall health in which it receives decreased oxygen and nutrients.
Pressing on this knot will help break up these adhesions and offer temporary relief. A more permanent solution is to get some deep muscle therapy, such as Active Release Techniques or Massage Therapy, in which the muscle fibres can be realigned and the muscle integrity can be returned to normal function.
The shoulder blade is a very common area for these “knots” to occur due to increased time at a computer, stress, and/or muscle weakness.
http://www.canada.com/edmonton/specials/askthepros/chiropractor.html
yes, IMHO it seems more likely that bad posture etc is too blame than calcium deposits. However, having said that, muscle knots would seem to be one of these non-urgent medical subjects where hard facts are in short supply, e.g. I suspect that very few if any biopsies of muscles knots have ever been carried out
Current hypothesis has it that the muscle fibers cross-link to adjacent fibers, in a perpendicular fashion. As opposed to the standard parallel fiber linkage fashion. Result, a tense, tangled muscle area, which is difficult to break up.
The best therapy I’ve found is to have someone aggressively massage the knot for about as long as you can stand it. It’ll still take days to resolve, but otherwise some of these suckers last for months.
There’s not a lot of research in the literature to support this, but there’s not a lot of bona fide info out there on this topic. This is just from my own experience, but I won’t put the weight of the medical community behind these ideas.
Generally, the causes are known as well as the treatments, so although autopsies haven’t been done to gather all the facts, we still have good facts to prevent and treat such ‘knots’.