What are knots in your muscles?

Jane Arlow • October 14, 2022

Are they even a real thing?

If you've ever wondered what knots in your muscles are, and whether you need to do something specific to get rid of them..here's your quick guide!

So, what are they?

Muscle knots are the lumps you feel, perhaps after a more challenging workout (or even after sitting in the same position all day long), under your skin. The area around the knot might feel tight, a little painful maybe. The sense of the lump and the pain might continue for a couple of days, but eventually dissipates.

If in your head, you're imagining actual knots in the muscles (I always used to imagine a tidy little bow!), that's not exactly what they are.

In fact, they're not really in your muscles either.

Between our skin and our muscles, is the connective tissue called "fascial tissue".

To imagine what this is, think of an uncooked, skin on, chicken breast (sorry vegan / veggie friends!).

When you pull the skin away from the breast (the muscle), there is usually a little bit of white tissue that connects the skin and the muscle. This is fascial tissue. And it covers our whole bodies.

The "muscle knots" are in fact irritations in your fascial tissue and their proper name is "myofascial triggerpoints".

When you exercise in a way that challenges your muscles, you create micro-tears in them. This is not a bad thing! The action of these micro-tears and the healing process are how you make your muscles bigger and stronger.

During the healing process, the muscle will become slightly inflamed and this inflammation irritates both the muscle and the layer of fascia above it, creating a lump or, as it's also known, a myofascial triggerpoint.

If you were to go for a scan while you were experiencing myofascial triggerpoints, they wouldn't show up on the scan. And we're not exactly sure of the mechanisms in the muscle that cause it to happen either. We know they're there, but not exactly how or why!!

Are muscle knots inevitable when I exercise?

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.

How can I get rid of muscle knots?

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.

Are there therapists who can help me with knots and myofascial triggerpoints?

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.

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October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and if you haven't done it recently, please let this be the nudge you need to give them a good feel up. Here 's a link to the NHS website below showing how to perform your check and what to look for. If you're one of my gentlemen readers, please don't think this doesn't apply to you. It does. Men can still get breast cancer. And if you find something that doesn't seem right, please contact your GP as soon as possible. 80-90% of lumps are likely to be benign, but for the small percentage of those that aren't, early detection and treatment are your best chances of having successful treatment and being around to annoy friends and family for a long time. Don't skip your mammogram I know having mammograms is really uncomfortable. But this is one of the best ways to check for cancers that aren't otherwise easily spotted. So if you get invited, please go. (And don't skip your smear test either!!!) Know your risk factors 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Here are some of the risk factors: - Age : older women are more likely to get breast cancer than younger women and age is the highest risk factor. - Genetics : Breast cancer risk is higher if you have first-degree relatives who've had it (although 85% of women with a relative with breast cancer WON'T get it). - Breast density (relates to the percentage of non-fatty tissue): the risk is highest for those with the most dense tissue. You can ask your radiographer to tell you whether you have dense tissue at your mammogram. - Lifestyle factors: These include having overweight or obesity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use and insufficient physical activity. - Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals: These "forever" chemicals, such as pthalates and parabens, show up in makeup and toiletries. Risk doesn't normally come from one exposure to one chemical, but from prolonged exposure to many different chemicals over a long period of time. You can read more about the risks here It's worth noting that even if you get a diagnosis, it's unlikely you'll ever know if there was "one thing" that caused it. What happens if you get a diagnosis of breast cancer? I am in no way competent to comment on the treatment plan your medical team recommend for you. Everyone I know who's had breast cancer has had a different treatment plan, depending on: the stage of cancer; whether it had spread further; whether it was hormone-receptive; whether it was due to genetic mutation; and the age of the woman. I do know that for all of us, it was a really scary time. You should be given access to resources outside of the surgical and oncology team, often via a Macmillan nurse, who can answer questions on topics from your treatment and reactions, to claiming for extra benefits. They're also great if you're not sure what questions to ask. While you're in the heat of the panic, it can be difficult to think clearly about what you need to know. Using "what should I be asking that I'm not?" is super helpful. Keep moving after your diagnosis, during and after treatment The one thing I can advise you on with all confidence, is to keep moving. Exercise is safe, possible and helpful for individuals with breast cancer, throughout the treatment cycle. In fact, international guidelines say you should try to get back to your normal activities as soon as possible. Exercise can help reduce the risk of cancer coming back; and may stop stage 1 cancers from growing further; and can also reduce treatment side effects like tiredness, cognitive impairment or lympoedema. Yes, you may need to dial back your usual activities if treatment leaves you feeling exhausted. But whenever you can, please aim for 150 minutes of exercise in every week. Many forms of treatment also lead to a higher osteoporosis risk, so please also do resistance-based and/or some impact-based exercise every week. I'd also recommend paying attention to shoulder mobility. Scar tissue and "guarding" of surgery sites can reduce your range of movement a lot. Check in with your medical team to confirm if there's any specific movements you should avoid during your treatment plan, and when you'll be signed off to go back to them. One last piece of advice someone else gave me... When you tell people you have cancer, a lot of them will have an opinion on your treatment plan. Especially if they're of the "my friend cured their cancer by just eating this one thing.." type. Unless this person is an oncologist, you can safely ignore them! So, what are you still doing reading this? Go off and give yourself a fondle!