It’s likely that you’ve had a knotted muscle at some point in your life. If you’ve experienced tightness in your back, shoulders, or thighs, it was likely because of knotted muscles. Although this problem is usually nothing to worry about, it can cause uncomfortable pain and stiffness if you let it go. However, you can take steps to loosen your muscles up and get rid of the pain.
At Commonwealth Musculoskeletal Medicine, our team helps you when you just can’t seem to kick your muscle tightness on your own. Leading our knowledgeable team is Dr. Mark Conliffe who’s an expert in neuromusculoskeletal medicine. Dr. Conliffe takes several different approaches to help you lose the muscle knots for good.
If you’re active, muscle pain probably isn’t anything new. However, tension and pain in your muscles isn’t something that only affects active people. In fact, sometimes, knots in your muscles can be due to inactivity.
So what exactly is a muscle knot? Although the term makes it seem like your muscles are tied up or twisted, that actually isn’t the case. A “knot” in your muscle is simply that area of your muscle experiencing a spasm. It may only affect part of your muscle, but often leads to tension and pain.
Knots in your muscles are either caused by repetitive motion in a specific group of muscles or from the muscle resting in an unnatural position for a long period of time. However, your muscles can tighten up and spasm for other reasons, some of which include:
The discomfort of knotted muscles is real and can last for a few hours or a few weeks. It’s important to understand the signs, so you can work to get the muscle relaxed as soon as possible.
Muscle knots can happen anywhere in your body, but are common in your back and shoulders. These areas are used frequently and take on a lot of stress throughout the day. However, your neck and legs can also be affected by knots as well.
Pain is often one of the main signs of tension or spasming in your muscles. However, you may experience other symptoms around a muscle knot as well, including:
Sometimes, knots in your muscles may cause problems in other areas of your body. For example, you may experience headaches from a knot in your neck, or an earache or toothache from knotted muscles as well.
When you’re experiencing knots in your muscles, it’s imperative that you get rid of it as soon as you can to relieve the pain and discomfort. Although that’s easier said than done, you can take steps to help relax your muscles.
Dr. Conliffe specializes in nonsurgical treatments for muscle problems. Physical medicine is the area where Dr. Conliffe is an expert, and it encompasses several different types of therapies that can help ease muscle knots. Dr. Conliffe may recommend any of the following therapies to help ease your pain:
In some cases, osteopathic manual manipulation of the area that’s knotted up can also help. When you come in to see Dr. Conliffe, he discusses all the above therapies and determines which ones are right for you.
Often, Dr. Conliffe combines several of the aforementioned treatments not only to ease your muscle pain, but also to combat it from returning. For instance, he may recommend rest, massage, and physical therapy to get your muscles back to normal.
If you're tired of painful knotted muscles, don't hesitate to call our office at 502-771-1012, or book an appointment online with Dr. Conliffe on our website today.
