What are "Knots?"

What are knots?  "Knot"s are one of the main reasons you might come in to get a massage.  Your back feels tight, and when you reach back there, you feel an area of muscle tissue that feels hard and can be sore or tight.
"Knots" are areas of muscle tissue that have become hypertonic, that have contracted, to a degree, and stay that way, even when you are no longer using the muscle for a specific activity.
The body will naturally splint an injury that would otherwise be further hurt by tensing the muscles around it, to make that area immobile.  However, even when the injury itself is fully healed, muscles often will remain tensed, or hypertonic.
When muscles remain in this state of hypertonicity, circulation to the tissues in that area is inhibited, or limited.  This prevents optimum levels of nutrients and oxygen from reaching cells in that area, which can leave you feeling crummy.  On top of that, metabolism for tissues in that area and the removal of waste products from the area is also compromised.  So several things are going on at once in a "knot."  A lack of circulation, lack of nutrients and oxygen, less than optimal metabolism and a buildup of waste products.
The longer the hypertonicity remains, the longer this situation persists.  Muscles can become fibrotic and painful.  They are not working at their optimal performance.  In addition, the nervous system can begin to read the neurons firing to tell the muscle to remain in that position, as pain.  In response to pain, the area becomes even more hypertonic.
A buildup of waste products that remain in the muscles can be felt as "crunchy" when you are receiving a massage.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to help these areas relax and let go of their tension.  This will help return circulation to the area, bringing in nutrients and oxygen, removing waste products, increasing metabolism, bringing your muscles back to optimal function and removing or reducing pain.
Massage helps to relax these areas in several ways.  Touching an area of hypertonic muscle often informs the body that this area is holding more tension than it needs to, allowing this muscle to relax.  Massage also puts you and your sympathetic nervous system into "rest and digest," rather than "fight or flight."  Muscles are extremely responsive to the sympathetic nervous system.  Simply getting a person to relax, by massaging her scalp or ears, can cause her whole system to relax - which in turn can help reduce the tension in her low back.
Anything you can do to get yourself in a relaxed state will help to reduce tension in specific areas of your body.
You can:
- Get a massage
- Take a hot bath
- Go for a walk
- Meditate
- Take a nap
- Take a deep breath

When sometimes these methods don't work, massage, manually working on areas of tension and addressing other reasons why a muscle might be in this state can work out sore, painful areas.
I also recommend to a lot of clients stretching and yoga.  This also brings circulation into areas that have been tight and can help to release tension and remove waste products.
Besides, movement is (almost) always good for your health!

Amanda Killen, LMP
www.healingtreemassagetherapy.com