Home Fitness Beating Father Time: How to Treat Muscle Knots

Beating Father Time: How to Treat Muscle Knots

Muscle Knots
Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash

It’s frustrating for guys trying to get in shape or build muscle mass to be slowed down by a painful muscle knot. Before you treat muscle knots, it’s helpful to know how it develops in the first place. Each muscle in the human body has fibers layered on top of each other than run in many different directions. Without muscle fibers, people wouldn’t be able to bend, twist their body, or engage in many other physical activities.

 

Muscle Knots
Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash

Long periods of physical inactivity, injury, dehydration, and illness are the most common causes of muscle tension. The term muscle knot refers to the way the fibers feel hard and lumpy to the touch. Reaching for prescription anti-inflammatory pills or over-the-counter pain relievers are a common way to deal with muscle knots. However, natural remedies can be more effective and don’t introduce any substances to the body that may not be necessary.

Consider a Chiropractic Adjustment

Treatment from a professional chiropractor is a drug-free and surgery-free way to treat chronic pain from muscle knots. The focus of a chiropractic session is to determine if the spine is out of alignment and to guide it back into place if it is. A chiropractor will also manipulate other muscles, such as those in the neck and shoulder, to ensure proper positioning. Despite the popularity of prescription and non-prescription drugs to treat muscle pain, lack of bodily alignment is often the root cause.

Purposeful Movements to Relieve Pain

At the first sign of muscle tension, learning to relax, breathe deeply, and stretch can prevent it from turning into more severe pain. Nobody can completely eliminate stress from their life, but learning to let go of things they can’t control and not taking on too much can go a long way in relieving it. Yoga can be helpful at relieving stress as well. It stretches muscles, releases tension, and helps to focus the mind.

Small, short breaths tend to increase stress and make muscle tension worse. Making a conscious choice to practice deep breathing can have amazing health benefits. People experiencing muscle pain can start this process by sitting up straight and placing their hand over the abdominal area. Taking a deep breath in through the nose causes the belly to rise. The last step is to blow the air slowly out of the mouth while exhaling. This can be repeated several times throughout the day to induce a relaxed state.

Purchase Some Essential Oils

Essential oils are popular for good reason. They are a natural method of pain relief that works. Lemongrass improves overall blood circulation, which in turn relieves back pain and muscle spasms. Cypress and Frankincense improve circulation as well as reduce inflammation. This can also be an effective means of reducing muscle spasms and pain. Peppermint oil is a natural pain reliever that has proven effective at relieving headaches in addition to sore muscles.

Unwanted side effects are always a risk with any type of medication. Natural methods of pain control remove that fear while providing excellent relief at the same time.