Aches and pains are a part of life, and we are all vulnerable to experiencing them as we navigate our busy and (hopefully) active days. Regular aches are simply a part of life, but sometimes they can linger for longer than we would like them to.

Muscle knots are a common condition that can pop up seemingly out of nowhere, or they can be the result of an intense exercise without the proper recovery.

In any case, our AFC Urgent Care Louisville team understands how frustrating and painful muscle knots can be, so we explain how to get rid of the pain below.

How Do Muscle Knots Form?

Anyone can suffer from muscle knots. They aren’t just reserved for super active people! Our muscles are made up of thousands of muscle fibers that are delicately interwoven to help our muscles perform the tasks they were designed for. Depending on your lifestyle, posture and daily choices, these fibers can get really tight or clenched up and can eventually turn into a hardened spot of muscle.

Muscle knots are often found in places that we tend to hold tension like our shoulders, backs and necks, which can result in serious pain whenever we try to move normally and get through the day. Muscle knots can range from small, hard nodules to larger areas of stiffened or raised muscle fibers. Some knots can grow so large that they hurt even when you aren’t touching the area or moving around.

Common Culprits for Muscle Knots

• Poor posture
• Chronic muscle overuse, like from intense exercise
• Injury
• Sedentary lifestyles

Will Muscle Knots Keep Coming Back?

The answer to this is kind of a good news, bad news situation. The good news is that muscle knots can usually be remedied with some TLC and some rest. The bad news is that if you don’t change up your lifestyle or address what caused the knot in the first place, you will most likely deal with this as a chronic issue and the knots will keep coming back. If you struggling with a knot, our first suggestion is to drink more water. Our muscles need water in order to function normally, so the more water you can give an injured muscle, the better.

You should also take this time to rest the muscle and gently stretch the area to give your body some tension relief. If you sit down all day at work, try incorporating more breaks into each day or have your company invest in a standup desk so you can address any posture issues permanently. Of course, you can also gently massage the area to help release the triggered muscle fibers. Just make sure to limit the time you spend massaging the area and only use gentle pressure to avoid further injuring yourself.

Tips for Healthy Muscles

• Drink plenty of water.
• Stretch regularly and take frequent desk breaks.
• Exercise often.
• Treat injuries properly.

Dealing with chronic pain? Come see us at AFC Urgent Care Louisville.