The Nagging Knot

September 22, 2017

deep

Let’s talk about that annoying knot that has been sitting in your back for some time now, shall we? Or is it more than one by now?

So the knot is actually a trigger point, a contraction in the muscle that has accumulated tissue build-up around it to keep the muscle contracted. It’s important to release those knots so you can begin to get good blood flowing through the area again.

At the end of this email, I am going to share with you our latest deep tissue technique that we have developed as a part of our very own Ashiatsu Therapeutic Massage technique. But first, I want to share some things you can do at home.

I know these knots can keep you up at night or make it difficult to find a comfortable sitting position at work, which can be terribly distracting causing you to be unproductive or unfocused.

Here is what you can do! First of all, find your knot. Is it near the shoulder blade and next to the spine?

Do you have a lacrosse ball? Lay on the floor with the lacrosse ball situated directly on the knot. Allow the weight of your body to sink the ball into the knot! Breathe here for several minutes and consciously tell your muscles to relax onto the ball. It’s genius! It is not going to fix the problem permanently, but this will definitely buy you some time until your next appointment!

Is the knot closer to the spine?

This is one of our favorite tools:

The wooden back roller

You can order online at Amazon or stop by Morning Star Trading company on South 1st St.

Here is what you will do: Lie on the back roller at the level of the knot with your spine situated between the two central knob. Make sure the knobs are directly over the area of issue. Again, allow your body weight to sink the knot into the wooden knobs. Stay here and breathe as you give your muscles time to understand what is happening so they can relax. At least 2 minutes. If you have multiple areas of tension along the spine, you can move slowly down the back with the roller and settle into the next area of tension and hold again for 2 minutes. It’s pretty spectacular. You should notice affects immediately.

Now, as promised, I am going to tell you about our latest deep tissue technique to release these miserable knots. We can now apply myofascial release technique to stretch out the fascia that is constraining the muscle before we begin to work the muscle itself. Releasing the fascia first, gives the muscle the space it needs to release, otherwise it remains bound by the fascia that surrounds it. Incredible, right? We are so excited to expand the scope our therapeutic results in this way for you!

So I ask you, do you have an unshakable knot that you would like to release? Ask your therapist to apply the myofascial release technique at your next ashiatsu therapeutic massage session.