Natural Way To Get Rid Of Muscle Knots In Your Upper Back And Shoulders

Muscle spasms in your upper back? Knots in your shoulders?

Happens to the best of us! Including me! And to the occupational therapist who sent the following testimonial to me.

I really got a kick out of this because she 'forgot' what to do for herself just as I have when a miserable knot came to visit.

Here's what Katie said:

> Here's a testimonial for you:
>
> I am an occupational therapist and I know better. I have preached for
> years that we need to stretch our chests and strengthen our upper
> backs/posterior shoulder girdles. However, I have been having spasms
> between my shoulder blades and spine (mostly on the right), and I have
> spent what seems like endless hours in hot baths, on the heating pad,
> and lying on tennis balls or pushing as hard as possible against my
> shiatsu
> massage chair. These techniques often relieved the spasms, but only
> temporarily; not to mention that it left me with a bruise-type pain for
> days from pushing so hard. One day, feeling beyond frustrated, I
> started searching the web. That is when I came across your site and had
> that AHA moment (in a "duh" fashion for me). I had been missing the thing
> I preach so much about!! (We healthcare professionals are such bad
> patients). I instantly stood and did the corner stretch and doorway
> stretch, then cut a piece of Theraband and started some scapular
> strengthening exercises (specifically external roataion and horizontal
> abduction). Boy, did I feel it on the right, but I kept going and guess
> what? Within 2 days, I was FINE. Pain-free, spasm-free, and H-A-P-P-Y!
> Thanks for the reminder. We all need to be smacked upside the head from
> time to time. =)
>
> ~Katie F.

I really appreciated Katie sharing her experience with me.

She started getting to the root of her muscle knot. She started strengthening her back muscles.

And she started stretching and lengthening the muscles in the front of her arms and chest.

She was H-A-P-P-Y! And that makes me happy, too!

I have observed and heard over and over that massage therapists (who should know better) blast away on muscle knots. And the knots cannot relax! Why?

Because the CAUSE of the knots is not where the pain is. Bodies often work like that!

And now I'd like to invite you to discover lots and lots of articles about natural relief for knots and muscle spasms in your upper back at Simple Back Pain Relief.com.

Another Cause For That Knot In Your Back

Does your upper back pain feel like a "knot" or muscle spasm between your shoulder blade and spine?

Last time we talked about muscles in your torso that could cause this pain. Today we will talk about another cause, which is almost always overlooked.

The muscles that can cause that "knot" in your back are on the side of your neck. There is a set of muscles on each side of your neck called the scalenes.

When the scalene muscles get tight, or aggravated, they develop "trigger points." If you have a therapeutic massage to work out your knotty back problem, and it doesn't help, then the problem isn't in your back. (I am assuming here that your therapist worked ALL of your back and rib muscles, not just the knot.)

The problem is in your scalenes.

Trigger points in your scalene muscles are "firing" or causing pain in your upper back. If you get a well-trained massage therapist to work on your neck muscles and release the trigger points, your back pain will go away.

If you suspect this may be what is causing that knot in your upper back, you can try to release the scalenes yourself.

Press gently into the side of your neck. Using the pads of your fingertips, explore the muscles that run on the side of your spine, or neck bones.

If you feel hard, knobby things, those are probably the edges of your vertebrae, or neck bones. If you feel a pulse, move off it.

Thoughtfully and carefully explore the length of your neck from your jaw to your collarbone. If you run into a very tender area, gently hold pressure there for about 12 seconds. If it doesn't "release" or become less painful, move on. You can come back to that tender area a few more times, after letting it rest for a few minutes, to see if it will release.

If an area refers pain into your "knot" on your back, you have found the trigger point that is causing your pain! Apply gentle pressure with your finger pads for about 12 seconds and see if it lessens. You can repeat as needed.

As you explore the muscles on the sides of your neck, you may be surprised by all of the sensations you feel. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Many of our upper body muscles refer, or cause sensations, in our head, back and arms. You may even notice sensations in your carpal tunnel area.

Don't be afraid to explore. It's your body.

You can discover more about how to get rid of that miserable knot in your back naturally at http://KnotsInYourBack.com