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zoogwah t1_iuricvq wrote

They are formally referred to as myofascial trigger points. The scientific evidence surrounding them is messy and controversial. It's generally accepted that a trigger point is simply a small area of contracted muscle, like a small cramp or spasm. There's also an hypothesis that sometimes a knot/trigger point might not feel hard or tight to the touch when palpating, and is instead a phenomenon related to sensory disturbance.

So to answer the question, it would probably just look like regular muscle, perhaps contracted.

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BebopFlow t1_iusjjot wrote

I'm a massage therapist. Knot is really a catch-all with no definition, which causes a lot of confusion. A person is often referring to the phenomena of trigger points, but the plain truth is that very few people who have "knots" have trigger points in my experience. There's a distinct texture to a trigger point and pattern of response, and the method to release a trigger point is different from what you'd use on generalized muscle tightness. In most cases people that come to me complaining of knots just have a generalized muscle tightness caused by poor posture exacerbated by either lack of movement or lack of movement variety. I see 2-3 dozen or so new clients a month, outside of my regulars, and I'd say that I encounter a proper trigger point maybe twice a month on average or less. My specialty is in myofascial massage utilizing structural integration techniques and philosphy, so it would stand to reason that I'd be more likely to encounter people with trigger points since they'd self select, right? (Structural integration is a somewhat broad subset of myofascial massage with the intent of balancing the relative tension between muscular groups in order to relieve pain or increase range of motion, usually through utilization of targeted stretching, active/passive mobilization, and targeted deep tissue work)

Personally, I think the word knot is overused, to the detriment of people's health. What is implied when a professional uses the word knot is that there's something wrong, some sort of physical thing that needs to be untangled by someone else (or even worse, something that just is an aspect of you, like the color of your skin or your height) instead of a temporary state of affairs that can be improved by yourself. Especially when it's actually just general muscle tightness. A professional can help short term, but generally targeted stretching and exercise, with some mild lifestyle changes, is the cure. A person sitting at a computer 6-8 hours a day doesn't need someone to hammer their upper back/shoulders with their elbow (though it will feel good and provide short term relief), they need to sit still for shorter periods, stretch their pec minor, and do some band pull aparts/face pulls/rows/lat pulldowns.

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Phoenyx_Rose t1_iuswwtv wrote

You. I like you. Thank you for putting this info in easy to understand terms. It’s helped confirm my idea that my restless and achy legs are at least partially cause by a lack of exercise

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EchoCyanide t1_iuswlln wrote

I like all your sciencey talk and cool words. I'd get a massage from you!

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blayd t1_iusxi26 wrote

Does this apply to tendons too? Does trigger point massage help tendinitis?

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[deleted] t1_iust715 wrote

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[deleted] t1_iusvsq9 wrote

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[deleted] t1_iusx6jb wrote

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TrespassersWilliamTW t1_iusyigk wrote

doctors don't have all the answers especially when it comes to our nervous system and muscles. It's something i've long since accepted. It's not their fault, the body is just super complex. I'm sorry you have pain, i hope you find some relief!

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[deleted] t1_iusckhi wrote

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THEpottedplant t1_iuseu9g wrote

I have a book on trigger point massage techniques. The general idea is that the trigger point is basically where the muscle is primed into action by the nervous system, and through over use can become inflamed and have poor circulation which makes it worse. So physically breaking it up helps a lot. Dependant on the muscle and inflammation, trigger points will feel different, but they normally feel crunchy, kinda like undercooked spaghetti

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[deleted] t1_iurjkhi wrote

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zoogwah t1_iurlmaj wrote

Unfortunately not an easy solution. Everyone seems to get trigger points but we don't fully understand the causes. Pain's pretty complex, so some things might work in some cases but not others.

A shortlist of stuff that could help includes exercise, massage (self-massage too), stretching, heat, dry needling or acupuncture. A portion of how much a particular therapy might help can be attributed to your interaction with the practitioner and your personal beliefs around that therapy (see biopsychosocial model of pain). Stress relief, adequate sleep, and improving general health (physical and psychological) can also contribute.

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