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What Is a Muscle Knot?
We have probably all experienced a muscle knot at one time or another. The pain can range from dull to sharp. We may ache all the time and feel increased pain when moving. The pain can be in a person’s back, neck, or shoulder. But what is a muscle knot and what natural remedies are available? Let’s consider why we experience muscle knots and what can be done for them without taking pain medication.
Sometimes due to use, overuse, or misuse of a muscle, the fibers constrict and cannot release. This gives us the knot like feeling that we get when we touch the area. If the muscle is large, knots can become as large as a person’s thumb. In a smaller muscle, pinhead sized knots may be nearly undetectable other than the ache that they cause.
What causes these muscle knots to occur?
Sometimes they can be the result of an injury such as whiplash from an automobile accident or a sports accident. At other times, knots may occur after a workout or some other strenuous activity such as lifting heavy boxes while moving. You can also get a muscle knot from sitting or lying in the wrong position for too long. Good posture is a key to avoiding muscle knots.
What are some natural ways to relieve knots in back muscles? Massage is usually the first treatment we turn to for muscle knots. A professional massage is best and the safest, it could be tough to reach the area yourself and a loved one may lack the finger strength to work the knot out. A foam roller may help. They can be rolled over the area up to a dozen times, three times per day until the knot loosens up.
Another natural way to relieve muscle knots in the back or neck is upper cervical chiropractic. Studies have been done which show the effect that upper cervical chiropractic treatments have when pain is caused by an injury such as whiplash.
Don’t think that because your knot is in your lower back that upper cervical chiropractic won’t help. When the C1 and C2 vertebrae become misaligned, the effects can be felt all over the body. This is because these vertebrae in the upper neck are right at the base of the skull where the brain stem is. Thus, seeking the help of an upper cervical chiropractic practitioner is a great, drug-free way to treat all sorts of conditions including neck and back pain.
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Dr. Kurt Sherwood, D.C. is an Upper Cervical Specialist and Renton Chiropractor who has helped many people to find natural relief over the past 20 plus years. He is trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association and his Renton Chiropractic clinic specializes in correcting problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems including migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, and vertigo. More information can be found on his website at www.restorationspinalcare.com
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