I'll be minding my business, thinking about the tissue under my hands, when suddenly the previously somnolent client will exclaim:
'What the HECK (or some other euphemism, depending on the client) is that???'
Surprisingly enough, this is one of the most common questions I get during a bodywork session.
Because I'm petrified of spiders, I usually freeze and look up to make sure nothing is going to fall on me. Did I mention I'm afraid of spiders falling on me? Or crawling in my shoes, jackets, blankets, etc.? Yeah, I've experienced their creepiness in a massage session, and it was nearly impossible to keep from screaming out loud and running out of the room. So before you go thinking I'm paranoid, I'm totally justified in my 3 seconds of panic!
Once I realize the coast is clear and the spider paratroopers aren't invading my space, my brain can rationally come back to earth. At this point I may ask the client to clarify their question. Turns out, they're usually asking about a "bump" or "knot" or some other area my hands have just gone over. Sometimes a tight tendon will move over a bone, making a noise or just feel weird to a client. So they ask about it, and I can't blame them for wanting to know.
A quick note: No, your muscles can't actually knot up, like the pic here. They just get tight and contracted.
What's in a knot?
I once had a client say to me, "you find more knots than the Boy Scouts." Why, thank you! Remember, though, that those are your knots, not mine. And quite frankly, they're often easy to find. We're all so tight and tense that these things really almost pop up under my hands. Especially in the upper shoulder/neck area. You might have a Lark's Head or a Clove Hitch (or heaven forbid a Sheet Bend Double!) next to one of your shoulder blades. Sometimes my clients will know those knots are there, but don't know how they get there. Here's the story of how your knot came to be (cue story interlude music) . . .
. . . Once upon a time there was a Muscle who lived by a bone. This muscle's sole purpose in life was to move. Whenever it was supposed to move it would get a little signal, a knock on its door from a very nice Nerve, letting the Muscle know it was time to start moving. And, oh how it loved to move! This Muscle was made up of long, elastic fibers that could get shorter, bringing this one bone closer to its neighboring bone.
The Muscle didn't mind working hard, for it got enough rest to keep its fibers in good, working condition. Then, one day, the Muscle received a LOT of knocks on its door from the Nerve. The poor Muscle had to move a lot that day, and was very tired at the end of it! What's more, is that some of its fibers got tangled, but the Muscle didn't have the energy to untangle them.
The next day the Muscle worked just as hard with even less rest than before! For many days this pattern continued, until the Muscle started to wail in pain (something it hadn't done before). Its fibers were really tight and stuck together, making it harder for the muscle to move.
This whole situation continued until the magical massage therapist arrived. Using different techniques, that felt to the muscle like it was being squished, combed out, stretched and rolled, the massage therapist was able to work out the tangles and help the muscle feel better and like moving once again!
The End.
Maybe the end needs some work, and the details are certainly generalized enough to tell a truly gripping story, but hopefully you get the picture. The repetitive motions we perform every day (whether its simply sitting at a computer or swinging a hammer) impact our muscles. If you use your muscles daily, believe me, those muscles could use a massage. They may have "knots," or not, but regular massage will keep them in better working order.
'What the HECK (or some other euphemism, depending on the client) is that???'
Surprisingly enough, this is one of the most common questions I get during a bodywork session.
Because I'm petrified of spiders, I usually freeze and look up to make sure nothing is going to fall on me. Did I mention I'm afraid of spiders falling on me? Or crawling in my shoes, jackets, blankets, etc.? Yeah, I've experienced their creepiness in a massage session, and it was nearly impossible to keep from screaming out loud and running out of the room. So before you go thinking I'm paranoid, I'm totally justified in my 3 seconds of panic!
Once I realize the coast is clear and the spider paratroopers aren't invading my space, my brain can rationally come back to earth. At this point I may ask the client to clarify their question. Turns out, they're usually asking about a "bump" or "knot" or some other area my hands have just gone over. Sometimes a tight tendon will move over a bone, making a noise or just feel weird to a client. So they ask about it, and I can't blame them for wanting to know.
A quick note: No, your muscles can't actually knot up, like the pic here. They just get tight and contracted.
What's in a knot?
I once had a client say to me, "you find more knots than the Boy Scouts." Why, thank you! Remember, though, that those are your knots, not mine. And quite frankly, they're often easy to find. We're all so tight and tense that these things really almost pop up under my hands. Especially in the upper shoulder/neck area. You might have a Lark's Head or a Clove Hitch (or heaven forbid a Sheet Bend Double!) next to one of your shoulder blades. Sometimes my clients will know those knots are there, but don't know how they get there. Here's the story of how your knot came to be (cue story interlude music) . . .
. . . Once upon a time there was a Muscle who lived by a bone. This muscle's sole purpose in life was to move. Whenever it was supposed to move it would get a little signal, a knock on its door from a very nice Nerve, letting the Muscle know it was time to start moving. And, oh how it loved to move! This Muscle was made up of long, elastic fibers that could get shorter, bringing this one bone closer to its neighboring bone.
The Muscle didn't mind working hard, for it got enough rest to keep its fibers in good, working condition. Then, one day, the Muscle received a LOT of knocks on its door from the Nerve. The poor Muscle had to move a lot that day, and was very tired at the end of it! What's more, is that some of its fibers got tangled, but the Muscle didn't have the energy to untangle them.
The next day the Muscle worked just as hard with even less rest than before! For many days this pattern continued, until the Muscle started to wail in pain (something it hadn't done before). Its fibers were really tight and stuck together, making it harder for the muscle to move.
This whole situation continued until the magical massage therapist arrived. Using different techniques, that felt to the muscle like it was being squished, combed out, stretched and rolled, the massage therapist was able to work out the tangles and help the muscle feel better and like moving once again!
The End.
Maybe the end needs some work, and the details are certainly generalized enough to tell a truly gripping story, but hopefully you get the picture. The repetitive motions we perform every day (whether its simply sitting at a computer or swinging a hammer) impact our muscles. If you use your muscles daily, believe me, those muscles could use a massage. They may have "knots," or not, but regular massage will keep them in better working order.