Most Muscle Knots are not Knots

As a massage therapist I often hear people talk about muscle knots. It is a common term used to describe an area that hurts and is often accompanied by a lump or bump. Muscle knots may also be called trigger points, myofascial trigger points, palpable nodules, or simply knots. So, what are they? The answer is up for debate, but if I were to make an educated guess, I’d say they have something to do with sarcomeres being stuck in a contracted position.

Exploring what they may be, can be fun and interesting, but in my professional opinion, they are rare, often incorrectly identified, and can result in unhealthy perceptions of our body.

Muscle knots are rare.

Sure, nearly every massage therapist you visit is going to find them and try to work them out. They may say things like, “Oh wow, you have a lot of knots.”, or “This knot is really tough, this is going to hurt, so make sure you breathe!”

The muscle knot is most likely not a knot. Just because there is a slight bump on your back, it doesn’t mean there is anything abnormal. Our body is not perfectly symmetrical. If you take the time to explore your body you will discover an array of beautiful differences from one side to the other. This is normal and natural, and unless something appears out of nowhere, there is nothing to be concerned about. In the instance you feel something abnormal develop, you should seek a medical professional instead of trying to squish it away.

Additionally, how acquainted are you with your body? There are so many areas we never touch, so when we do interact with those spots, they may seem weird or unusual. This is because the body is fascinating and has all sorts of textures and shapes. We may touch one area and think something must be wrong with it because it feels different than on someone else’s body. The reality is we are all unique and our bodies feel different, there are similarities, but no two people are the same.

Rather than hunting for knots, take some time to learn about the natural shapes and formations of your body. Many of the areas massage therapists locate muscle knots in are actually bony landmarks, or asymmetrical areas of the body. Other times they are thick, dense and strong muscles.

Muscle knots are often incorrectly identified because many people do not possess effective body awareness, or your therapist lacks the ability to accurately identify bones and bony landmarks.

Some years ago, I was sitting outside of a coffee shop reading a book about massage. A young woman noticed what I was reading and said “I often massage my boyfriend, but he is kind of a wimp. His back is covered with knots, and he cries like a baby when I push on them.”

I asked her what the muscle knots felt like when she pushed on them, and she said they were very hard. Then I asked if the hard bumps ever went away after she pressed on them, and she said no. I thought for a moment, then asked her if the knots went up his spine on both sides. With a wide-eyed reply she asked how I knew. With a shake of my head, I told her the areas she was pushing on weren’t knots, they were the transverse processes of his vertebrae. I let her know that he was complaining about the pressure, because she was actually hurting him.

Some years ago, I was receiving a massage from a therapist. I noticed they were over focusing on my shoulder blades. “Boy, you have some knots in here. Do you want me to take care of them for you?” I asked my therapist to feel around to show me what they were talking about. When they pressed, I could feel the discomfort, but it wasn’t because I had a muscle knot. It was because they were pressing into the spine of my scapula. In effect they were creating a vice with the bony point of their finger and the bony landmark of my shoulder blade. It hurt, because they were crushing the muscle.

In another massage, the therapist was working on my legs. “Oh, your IT band is so tight.” Then without warning they made their hand into a fist and pressed it firmly against the outer side of my thigh, sliding down to my knee. It hurt, and it was not a hurts so good kind of pain. Many massage therapists use this technique because they believe pain is the way to alleviate pain. To me, this is like burning down a forest to prevent a forest fire. Ultimately, this technique is not used to loosen up the IT band. The IT band is not going to loosen up, and even if it did, it is not something we want to be loose.

If I was experiencing pain in this area, the therapist should have taken a three-dimensional approach. This means they should have asked themselves which muscles may be contributing to the discomfort. In my experience the vastus lateralis, tensor fasciae latae and gluteus maximus are some good places to start. Additionally, they should have communicated with me. Many massage therapist use their interpretation as the gospel, believing their expertise as a body worker is more valuable than the subjective experience of the client.

One question I have for the therapist is, why did you think the area was tight? The answer is obvious and simple, it was because they felt it. They touched the area and felt interesting little bumps and textures then decided to jump in without communicating with me. This is another reason why I am not a fan of hunting for muscle knots. What you feel might not be what you think it is. Just because it feels tight, it doesn’t mean it is. When you massage someone, explore and get to know the soft tissues, but before you jump into a technique that may be uncomfortable, ask them how it feels. As therapists we may have a mountain of interesting massage techniques, but none of them have any value if they are not being used to help our clients feel wonderful.

If this therapist possessed good body awareness, they would have known that area of my leg is sensitive for nearly everyone. When we think about patterns of pain, this spot is one of the most common locations. This is not to say that area can’t receive firm pressure, instead we need to communicate before applying firm pressure.

When performing a massage, you are going to feel all sorts of bumps, hard spots, and interesting textures. Do your best to refrain from telling someone their muscles are super tight or have knots. The reason is because you most likely do not have the palpation skill to know the difference between a thick muscle, bony landmark, or an asymmetrical area of their body. We live in a world where we are already torn down at every turn. Refrain from adding to someone’s pain, instead offer them empathy and goodness with what you say.

While in some respects it can feel rewarding to hear someone tell us our back is in bad shape, or our muscles are haunted by tight spots and knots. Unfortunately, we as people eat all the bad stuff we hear, we soak it in, and we become it.

We tend to obsess over the little details about our body we can do nothing about. When someone tells us we have muscle knots or tight spots, we begin to obsess over the idea that if we could just get rid of these knots, our pain would go away. Unfortunately, in most instances a tight spot is typically a thick or strong muscle, a knot is a bony landmark, and an elevated area on one side is due to simple asymmetry.

Being told we have a muscle knot, when it is not a knot may cause us to go home and massage that area into oblivion. A spot that didn’t hurt can become an area that does. This can do a number on your pain system, and it may result in greater discomfort than you had before.

I’ve gotten myself stuck in negative feedback loops and they are not fun. Once the bitter cold of negativity seeps into your soul it becomes almost impossible to let go. This is made worse by our tendency to become our weaknesses and diseases. When I was diagnosed with cancer, it became my life. The death soaked into my bones, and it became my everything. It took years for me to let go of the entropy that had infested me.

Even simple things like being told we have knots can give us a negative outlook on our body. It tells us we have something wrong with us, when we don’t. Pain is a part of life, it sucks, but no matter how much we don’t like it, our negative outlook is not going to change the pain. In all likelihood it is going to make it worse. I firmly believe negativity begets negativity. If we want to move forward in life, if we want to escape the strife and move toward delightfulness, we need to search for ways to embrace the magnificence of the day. This means being ready to receive goodness and giving goodness for the sake of giving goodness. When you are massaging someone, it means listening to them as you explore their soft tissues. There will be times when they tell you they have pain in a place that doesn’t feel like it should. Humble yourself in the moment and pay extra attention, take the time to be more in the moment, and offer them the peace and ease they need as you touch them with love.

Touch is fascinating, because sometimes we will feel things that are not there. This happens to all of our senses from time to time. The interesting thing about the mind is that we can see and feel things that don’t exist, in massage this is called palpatory pareidolia.

We bypass this problem by refraining from searching for something wrong with someone’s body. Offer them a space that is comforting, welcoming and accepting. In some circles this is called holding space, it is a time when someone else has the opportunity to be the center of the universe. When performing a massage this is the exact thing we should be doing. The person we are touching is meant to have our undivided attention, focus and care. Exist in the moment, explore their soft tissues, and offer them the deepest level of love you have to offer.

In massage, intent is one of the most important aspects of the experience. When our intent is genuine, good and pure it enriches every second of the session. This is why it is so important that you tap into the cleanest and most giving aspects of your being when you are touching someone else. It cannot be selfish; it cannot be self-serving. Even if you are performing a massage for a fee, once you begin massaging, nothing else matters except that person’s comfort and ease. If you want to provide an amazing massage experience for someone else, you must make it about them. You need to let go of your ego, wash away any ulterior motives and focus solely and absolutely on them. You need to let go of the notion that you are going to be the Sherlock Holmes of their knots and tight spots. You need to be in a state of peace with wholesome intent, so you may genuinely guide them toward feeling delightful.

Experience the ease, comfort and serenity you need at Jennifer Brand Spa.  Feel the outside world float away as your senses are soothed, replenished and revitalized.  Discover how it feels to be the center of the universe, to live with harmony, and embrace peace.