A cramp, muscle, or shooting pain happens to everyone during or after exercise. Usually, this problem resolves itself. If not, by stretching or greasing an ointment, you will undoubtedly get rid of it quickly with rest.
If all this doesn’t help, you might have a muscle knot, as I had recently. In this article, I will tell you precisely what a muscle knot is and how I could easily remove it myself.
Table of Contents
What is a muscle knot?
A muscle knot is a contraction of part of a particular muscle. This causes this muscle to shorten and thicken. As a result, this muscle will have to stretch in a different place. The entire area around this muscle will try to absorb this, creating tension around this place.
Cramp in my thigh, muscle knot?
Recently, I was out jogging when a stabbing pain started coming up in my quadriceps (thigh) near the end. I did finish the 10-kilometer loop (which was perhaps not very wise). I had no idea why I had suddenly gotten this feeling and decided not to pay much attention. It would go away on its own…
After a few days of rest, I again put on my running shoes. In good spirits and without pain, I ran the first kilometers smoothly, at a pretty good pace.
The damper on the revelry soon followed. After 3 km, the pain in my thigh started to resurface, and after 4 km, I was forced to stop. I couldn’t walk another meter; my left leg just refused. A stabbing pain that was worse than the last time. I was in the woods, so I still had to get home. Even walking was torture.
I decided to take some extra rest to get rid of this ailment.
Fast forward to the next attempt at painless running. Again, I left smoothly, and everything seemed to go smoothly. However, after 2.5 km, I had to stop my journey and walk home again with the necessary effort and pain.
In the meantime, I had ridden a few times on the mountain bike. Strangely enough, I did not experience any pain in my upper leg while cycling. I even rode a rugged mountain bike route in Houffalize without pain or ailments.
It made me sad because I like to alternate my training sessions on the bike with a round of jogging.
Because I am often involved with sports, health, and everything around it, it suddenly occurred to me one evening… Could it be a muscle knot?
Now, the pain afterward was almost as bad as the pain at the time. So you can compare the feeling to a cramp in a muscle that lasts for a long time and remains cramped.
How do you relieve a muscle knot?
Recently, I wrote an article about foam rollers. You can use this to train or to recover your muscles. But I suddenly remembered that you could also remove stubborn muscle knots with this. It was my last hope to finally get rid of the pain when running or even walking.
I’m not the biggest fan of massages, and I certainly don’t like someone else massaging me. So I would fix it myself.
With the help of a foam roller, I massaged my thigh for ten minutes. Not only the location of the pain but also the entire area around it. I repeated this a few times in the evening while sitting on the couch. I’m not a doctor or a physiotherapist, so I hoped my analysis of the problem was correct, that it was a muscle knot.
The only way to know if it had helped was to go for another run. I left with not too much confidence.
I planned to run a little slower than usual, and it all went very smoothly. After about 2.5 km, I was still jogging painlessly. I wasn’t confident in the excellent outcome, but it was a good sign.
I can tell you that after a little over 9 km, I came home without pain and with an excellent feeling. My muscle knot was gone!
I was relieved that my problem was solved with a few simple massages. Massage with a foam roller may solve your problem, depending on what is wrong with you. Of course, your situation may be slightly different, so massaging may not be the right solution.
You can’t usually go wrong with massage, so it’s worth trying before you look for other and perhaps more complicated solutions. If you cannot get rid of your cramps, pain, or injuries, it is advisable to consult a doctor or physiotherapist.
How do you get a muscle knot?
Overload is often the cause of a muscle knot. Muscle injuries can also cause knots. People with desk jobs are also more likely to experience muscle knots. They have less movement and may adopt the wrong body position because they sit behind a desk all day. An unhealthy lifestyle, stress, and anxiety can also be a cause.
How exactly I got my muscle knot is still a mystery to me.
Four tips to prevent muscle knots
- Massage
- Magnesium
- Move more
- Muscle recovery
Massage
This is not just a solution for a muscle knot, as you could read earlier in this article. Massaging can also have a preventive effect. You can easily massage body parts such as arms and legs yourself, possibly with the help of a foam roller or even a massage gun. Your partner, a professional masseur, or physiotherapist can treat places you cannot handle yourself.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that keeps your bones and muscles strong. It is also suitable for the nervous system and helps fight fatigue. Because our body cannot produce magnesium, we must get it elsewhere.
Magnesium is mainly found in green (leaf) vegetables, bananas, nuts, whole grains, and water. Even if you often eat these products, it is possible that you still have a magnesium deficiency. You can always have this checked with your family doctor.
The best way to absorb extra magnesium is through the skin. You can easily do this with magnesium oil or a gel. This keeps your muscles flexible and helps to prevent cramping and muscle pain. So you can use it both before and after your workout.
Move more
This, of course, speaks for itself. Exercising a lot makes your muscles flexible, and you have less chance of muscle knots and stiff muscles. Even if you move a lot, an inconvenience can always occur; I am living proof of it. But the sportier and more agile you are, the faster you will get rid of it.
Muscle recovery
By taking good care of your muscles before and after exercise, you can prevent many problems.
Final thoughts
Before you make a figurative sprint to the doctor to get rid of a muscle knot, you can first try to solve it yourself. In my case, I managed to do it by spending 10 minutes using a foam roller.
If it’s still not resolved, then, of course, you can seek professional help. But definitely don’t forget that the solution can sometimes be very simple.
Have you ever encountered a persistent muscle knot that proved challenging to eliminate? Or have you successfully relieved your muscle knot using these suggestions? Feel free to share your experience in a comment below.
