Knots tend to occur when you've either worked more strenuously than usual, or have done something repetitive that is outside of your usual movement habits or patterns. 

If you're wondering why I said that it can also be caused by sitting at your desk for long periods ...well, that's because you're asking your body to hold the same position for hours and that is actually quite hard work! 

For example, when I've spent too long working on spreadsheets, I often find that the area around my right shoulder blade gets quite knotty (I'm right handed and this is my mouse side)

So, is it inevitable? No. Just as you don't always ache after a workout, you don't always get muscle knots either.

If you're not too impatient, you can just wait it out. After a few days, the healing process will be complete and the inflammation will subside. 

But if you'd like to help things along, there are options.

Let's start with the easiest - take a good stretch! This is particularly effective if you've been sat in one position for a long time. Your body will thank you for changing the range of movement. Try and do something that moves you in the opposite direction to how you've been sitting. Want some examples that will help if you're someone who sits at a desk all day? Check out this blog.

(ICYMI, I also have a 30 minute Zoom Stretch class every Friday at 8.15am UK time where you tell me what you need to release that day and we stretch accordingly. Book your first class for free here.

The second easiest is known as "self-myofascial release", "trigger point rolling" or sometimes "foam rolling". 

To do this, you'll need a foam roller, or a small ball. There are LOADS of options out there. If I was to recommend a couple of different things you might want in your cupboard (NB - affiliate links ahead, meaning Amazon pay me a very small commission if you buy, at no cost to you!), I'd go for a couple of hard balls, and a Triggerpoint Foam Roller. 

(Sometimes, at your request, we use these in Friday morning stretch too! Particularly for feet where we hold a lot of tension)

If you'd like to learn more about what's happening when you use a hard ball on your feet, check out this blog.

If you've been following me for any period of time, you know that I regularly visit my soft tissue therapist, Sophie, who keeps me moving.

She uses deep tissue massage to increase blood flow and decrease the tension in the muscle and fascia. Increased blood flow aids healing by bringing fresh oxygen and nutrients to the site.

We often find that once she starts prodding me, there are knots that I wasn't even aware of - often round my shoulder blades.

If you're interested to learn more about what a soft tissue therapist (or a chiropractor) can do to help you, check out this interview with Sophie and with Lucy (my chiro).

So, to summarise - if you exercise or if you sit in the same position for a long time, you are likely to experience muscle knots. For the patient, you can just wait it out. For the less patient, self-myofascial release or a massage can help speed healing up.