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Knots.

I worked on the church set-up crew on Sunday morning. Everything went well. At one point, while I was moving one of the banners, my friend Andy came over. Andy’s in charge of all the set-up crews, so to thank me, he grabbed me by the shoulders and started massaging them. Of course, I immediately stopped what I was doing, so as not to disturb his very important work.

“David, what’s this?” Andy asked me, grinding his thumb into a spot behind my right shoulder blade.

“Ow,” I said, grimacing. “That’s a knot.”

He worked it some more. “It’s huge.”

“Ow. Yeah, I can tell. Don’t stop.”

He kept working at it, and around it. “Are you right handed?”

“Ow. Yeah.”

“That explains it,” he said.

After a bit, he stopped, and explained that in his mens small group, they’re pretty tight, and they occasionally exchange back rubs. Each and every guy in the group had a knot in the same place.

Since that morning, I’ve been toying with the knot behind my right shoulder blade, massaging it as best as I can. Big knots like that don’t go away quickly. They take time and patience.

Last year at HoneyRock, Mikaela, the head wrangler, was the designated back massager for the Operations crew. She had strong hands from throwing hay every day, and a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology. She could tell you all the muscle groups in your back, as she put each one through its paces.

“These things are just pockets of lactic acid,” she would explain, as she gave the big knot behind my right shoulder blade some extra special attention. “When your muscles work anaerobically, lactic acid is created as a waste product. Most of it gets carried away by the blood, but if it builds up too fast, it can form a knot. If a knot stays in muscle for a very long time, it can start to calcify, and you end up with hard nodes in the muscle that never go away.”

I would say something incoherent, my entire back awash in pain.

“When you work the knot,” she would explain, moving up to the neck muscles, “it hurts because you’re releasing the lactic acid back into the muscle, where it will disperse into the blood.”

I would nod. “It’s good pain. Don’t stop.”

“Different people carry their stress in different places,” she would explain, moving back to the shoulder girdle, working the muscles around the knot. “You carry your stress in your shoulder blades. Pete carries his higher up. Jesse’s is in his lower back. Karin carries her stress in her jaw.”

I would mumble something about my posture at work. After a good ten minutes of this wonderful agony, she’d give my shoulders one last pat and stand up. “Okay, you’re done.” I’d stand up, and it would feel like I had new shoulders, they felt so loose, like they might fall off.

Since leaving HoneyRock, I no longer know any patient kinesiologists who throw hay for a living. I can feel the knots back there sometimes, and I massage them out the best I can. But sometimes I forget, and I lose track of what my body is doing to cope with life.

The knot on Sunday took me by surprise. Andy just barely got a start on it, but he released enough lactic acid back into the muscle that I can’t forget about it anymore. I worked at it some Sunday evening, some Monday morning, and again last night. Now, instead of one giant knot, it feel like a whole matrix of knots, like a net across my shoulder blade. The whole region lights on fire when I move it around, and I can feel the little knots popping and jostling against each other. I haven’t even touched my left shoulder, really, but I know there’s another, lesser, “Son of the Knot” sitting there, biding its time.

It’s so easy to forget about your body, to lose touch with it, to let it go off and do its own thing and not watch it too closely. Maybe knots are there to ground us a little, pull our minds back from wherever it is they go, whatever stress they experience, and remind us, “Hey, you’re body’s still here, and it needs some attention too.”

And hey, if I’m ever around, and you want to trade back rubs, just say the word. Myself, I never say “no” when I’m offered, and I’ll gladly pay back like for like.

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On August 31st, 2005, this was trivial (Tags: bachelor, back massager, friend andy, head wrangler, honeyrock, kinesiology, knot, knots, long time, muscle groups, neck muscles, paces, pockets, shoulder blade, shoulders, small group, strong hands, sunday morning, thumb, time and patience, waste product) | | Subscribe to comments | Both comments and pings are currently closed

Shelly:
November 23rd, 2005 at 10:15 pm

I am so glad that I found this blog. I have been suffering from several huge Knots behind my shoulder blades for years. I have gone to several massage therapists and they are amazed after they work on my back for a little bit they say ir feels like “a bag of rocks roll out of my blades” I am so embarrased and do not find much comfort from this condition. I thought that I was the only person in the world that had this problem. I wish I could make them dissapear as it disrupts my sleep, work and every thing else that I do in my life.

Kimmie:
December 14th, 2005 at 10:50 pm

I have the same problem under my left shoulder blade mostly. It hurts like crazy if you press on it. I was diagnosed with disc disease of C5-6 about 2 years ago, now I’ve developed these painful knots. If you press on them, I go through the roof and also my arm gets numb. Forget about sleep…it just hurts worse when I lay down on my back. My arms tingle and get numb all night long. I’m a 46 year old woman in good basic health, exercise regularly and am not a big coffee or alcohol drinker. I also believe I have carpal tunnel and nerve conditions do run on my dad’s side of the family. My doctor today said there was nothing that could be done. HELP!

kim:
December 29th, 2005 at 4:35 pm

I have large knots on the side of my spine and hip/back pain. No regular methods have helped. In searching the net, I came across the “Bowen Technique.” Google “Bowen Technique” to check it out. I’m going to; have nothing to lose (okay, maybe some cash, but I can’t take the pain much longer).

Bev:
January 15th, 2006 at 1:55 pm

I too suffer from the “knots” Had a suggestion from a friend that helps me. Just started today. My doorknobs in my home are rounded. I found a small stool just about the right height so that I can put the pressure on the knots without having to try to maneuver my hands over my shoulders etc…. I’ve done it several times today already and it seems to help.

hein:
January 31st, 2006 at 6:05 am

I too suffer from this. I am 30 years of age and have had this for the past 3 to four years. Is there a medical solution or operation for this? It is one of the worst pains in the world. If you have some answers to assist me, please feel free to let me know.

Greatly appreciated. Hein

heinrich.duplooy@etv.co.za

Lulu:
March 14th, 2006 at 4:36 am

I’m 30 and just working on getting my first business off the ground, which involves long nights at my desk. I bought a lap-top computer a year ago so I stopped using the office chair and computer… so with all the work I’m doing and the use of a lap-top (bad for posture) I suddenly found my back and neck in agony. My foot has hurt for a year after a tendon operation last year too.

I went for a foot massage (I live in Thailand) and for the first time ever (I have regular massages, always in a different shop) this masseuse recognised the pain in my foot was from lactic acid build up or knots or whatever you want to call it, and he said he could help me through massage alone.

I sat through about 4 hours of painful foot massage and another 8 hours of painful neck and shoulder massage, but this guy has got rid of it all.

My foot had hurt for a year, this was after the surgery had healed, and my back had twinges down the right hand side on and off for years from when I drive and work, etc. (I am right handed.)

With regular massage on these muscles it can be broken down and released. I asked the masseuse what I can do to help myself, since when I go back to the UK massages are not so cheap… he has advised me to sit cross-legged, back straight and meditate before I sleep for 15 minutes at least, a day. This breathing will help with relaxation and circulation and will stop the build up in my body. He has also recommneded basic yoga exercises, which I am going to start work on tonight. he says it will helpme think more clearly too now that he has cleared the knots from the base of my skull too.

Since my foot has been treated by him the pain has gone and the weakness I had in the joint there is growing stronger daily. I am confident if you can follow a similar treatment, this can relieve your symptoms and discomfort.

It’s worth a try… and it worked for me.

Loz:
March 29th, 2006 at 12:47 pm

I am 16 years old and have suffered with knots in my left shoulder (although i’m right handed) since i was 11. When i first got them i didn’t have a clue what they were, to me it was just pain, and lumps that ground together, in my muscle. i used heat pads and got mum to do some massage on it but it didn’t really help. One morning i woke really early in absolout agony. I couldn’t breathe properly because everytime i breathed in it felt like i was being stabbed through the shoulder and into my lung.(obviously i havent ever been stabbed but thats the only way i can describe the pain)I couldn’t get enough air to yell for someone in my family and had to lay there for about an hour, unable to move, until mum came in.

I went to the doctors but they didn’t know what it was. i tried loads of other methods of getting rid of the pain as well, ie. accupuncture. Eventually mum found me this sports physio. I went there for a couple of months but it hurt so much that i put up huge resistance to it and now i’m terrified of going anywhere else incase it hurts like that again.

It did reduce the pain for quite a while and i would only get very bad pain quite rarely. However the last 2-3 years it has been getting progressively worse again. In the last month i have been in agony for a week at a time, then it will die down for a few days and then get worse again.

It will suddenly start hurting so much that i get short of breath, my arm will go really weak or cold and it hurts to, move, breathe, laugh etc. Also about 2 months ago my hand went freezing cold and a funny purpley black colour for no reason (it wasn’t even cold weather). Could this be to do with the knots blocking some of the blood supply??

I know that i need to see somebody about it but i’m really scared! What should i do? The thing is i don’t want to keep bringing it up to mum or anyone, but its affecting everyday life and people are noticing. They just don’t seem to understand the pain and think that i’m being over the top!

Please help!! what should i do about it???

James McGraw:
April 12th, 2006 at 2:31 am

Dear Loz:

It sounds like you should have x-rays (or even better an MRI) to help diagnose your situation.
From your description there could be a variety of things causing this: 1.)Dislocated Rib - Ribs can dislocate fairly easily (sneezing, coughing) and most often can only be manipulated back into place by force (find a good chiropractor). The fact that it hurts you to breathe is a very good indication of this. It is not serious but does need to be attended to. 2.)You could have a herniated disc (in the cervical or upper thorasic spine). This is harder to take care of and may require surgery. Other treatments are doses of chortozone (steroid) shots to the infected area, ice, traction, and proper stretches and exercises to help strengthen and support the affected disc. 3.) You could have pinched a nerve. This usually goes in conjunction with a herniated disc. The inflamation in the disc can compress on a nerve and certain movements of your body only make it worse. Nerves are very sensitive and if even brushed the wrong way by an out of place joint will cause the muscles in the surrounding area to go into spasm. AGAIN - your best bet is getting an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). They are expensive - if you get one make sure you get a copy for your records (it’s your right) so you can take it to a few different doctors for different opinions. And I cannot stress this enough….Surgery is the last option! Get a MINIMUM of three professional opinions before you even consider surgery. No matter how convincing one doctor may seem…..get more opinions. Hope this helps…..best of luck to you!

Loz:
May 5th, 2006 at 2:44 pm

Oh thanks for all the advice, i think that i’m going to go and get it looked at at my mum’s chiropractor. Hopefully it wont be too serious, thats freaked me out a little bit hehe! Again thanks for the help.

Norma:
June 14th, 2006 at 12:11 pm

hi,

i’ve been having some pain in my shoulder and chest area. the dr prescribed muscle relaxers and it did not work. just yesterday i went back to another dr… from the emergency room and he happened.. thank GOD to be an orthopedic. he found that i had a dislocated rib… he pussed it back in place and i feel a lot better. he did snap out a lot of tension by popping all sorts of bones… it was good.

Gerry:
July 17th, 2006 at 10:54 pm

Loz,

I’ve been Google-ing “upper back pain” “shoulder blade pain” and “agony” every chance I get lately and I’m amazed that almost

every single artical is geared at “lower back pain” and “sciatica” to the point that I’ve wondered if I was the only person

in the world to have this pain. Luckily I stumbled across your post (under a forum about knots no less) and you describe the

EXACT same thing that happens to me. “Agony” and “Excruciating” are the only two words that come close to describing this

pain… I’ve never been stabbed in the back either, but I’d have to guess it’s less painfull than this! It’s more like a

searing white-hot knife in the back pain.

I was about 12 or 13 when I got my first taste of this pain (I’m 37 now). When I was a kid I would lay on my side with one

elbow down propping up my head to watch TV (on this particular day it was my right elbow). I was watching TV on the couch -

time to get up and go to school - BANG - wind knocked out of me style pain. I would have cried out but it hurt to much for

that so I was basically paralized. Luckily my mother recognized the look of fear on my face and realized I wasn’t just trying

to cop a sick day home from school.

I still get bouts of this pain. Once every year or two it goes “bye-bye” and I’m bedridden for a day or two (all the while

wondering if this will be the time that it goes out forever). Bedridden to the point that standing up to go to the bathroom

is an act of superhuman effort - the weight of gravity on my back seems waayyy tooo heavy. Luckily, these bouts never last

longer than that. Unfourtunately, more and more latley it’s been feeling “on the verge” to the point that I worry that it’s

about to go out again (and this’ll stop you from going camping or taking a long motorcycle ride because the LAST thing I want

is to become debilitated far from home). It’s pretty brutal, and the lack of knowledge/understading even on the entire

internet is a little disappointing. I once struggled to get myself to an emergency room to see if they could catch what was

going on - if you want to sit in an emergency room for 6 hours try telling them you have upper back pain (the friut of my

labor was 2 Tylenol and a “go home and lay down”). I’ve asked a couple of doctors for MRI’s and they basically roll their

eyes and say something about how much it’s going to cost me out of pocket etc…

Anyhow - I’ll give you a thing that sometimes helps alleviate some pressure - slide your hands up from your lower back (knuckles toward your back) like you were going to illustrate a clucking chicken or something > I place the palm of my right hand over the knuckles of my left hand (so my back touches the right-hand knuckles - my right hand palm covers my left-hand knuckles) I move them up behind my back to right between my shoulder blades (if you can do this comfortably) then I lean back against a low wall, the kitchen counter, or whatever’s at a manageable height and if my hands are in the right neiborhood it usually pushes my chest out a little and produces at least one little pop which loosens me up a bit. Sometimes making a fist with the outer hand (not the one in contact with your back) helps. People tell me it’s probably bad to do, but belive me it’s warded off more than a couple of episodes. You can do this laying flat on your back on the floor (come to think of it, try the laying down one first) or seated (a low back office chair works - maybe try this one second) the standing and leaning one may be the “advanced” method…

If your support team ever gets to the bottom of this - please post your results here or somewhere on the net. Or e-mail.

Good luck!

superid33@hotmail.com

Michael:
September 6th, 2006 at 8:11 pm

I have TERRIBLE knots in my upper back/shoulder area. Especially on my left, inside shoulder. When rubbed, the knot makes a very loud ‘popping’ sound. Massages feel great - but nothing has been able to get rid of these knots or the sounds. I am only 22 years old and I’ve had these pains since I was 16. I have felt other knots - but mine seem harder than anyone elses. They feel like a solid. I don’t know what I can do to make it better. I get headaches almost on a daily basis now and am always in pain. Can some PLEASE offer some explanations or advice? :(

Shannon:
September 20th, 2006 at 11:51 am

I’ve had terrible knots in my right shoulder for years. I think I have a pinched nerve, but have never been diagnosed. I got into a car accident in 1989 and got lateral whiplash and never got proper treatment, so I’ve consistently had neck and shoulder pain (mostly in my right side).

I am left handed, so I don’t think that has anything to do with it. But I sit at a desk all day looking at a computer screen all day and I think sometimes, that aggravates it alot.

I have used Soma and that helps relieve the tension (and relax the muscles), but the only thing that has helped me, is massaging the knots out.

Also, just an idea for those that don’t have someone to do massage all the time, on of the masseuses I went to, recommended using a tennis ball. If you lie on the ground or lean against a wall, you can work that ball on your knots and it does wonders. A golf ball works as well.

Joyce:
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:20 am

I have what my therapist calls lactic acid knots on my upper arms ..My arms hurt like crazy..she says that with regular massage they will break up and go away..so I have been seing her 2 times a week and she says my right arms have lost alot of the knots and I am 59 years old ..So I am a firm believer in massage it works….

Cheryl:
September 27th, 2006 at 9:36 pm

I too have had shoulder knots for years. Have had regular massage every 3-4 weeks, but pain would always return. A few years ago I visited a physiotherapist who also was an osteopath. He did sacral cranial therapy for 3 time a week for about a month and then I was better! I recommended him to loads of people and they all had great improvements too. After a few years, the pain has now come back (more knots have built up because I hold my stress there) but that physiotherarapist has moved accross the country. I found a massage therapist who did sacral cranio therapy and he was great but my insurance wouldn’t pay for it more than once a month so the “therapy” aspect of it wasn’t taking effect and any benefits would dissappear after a few days. Now I’m seeing another physiotherapist because of some knee surgery I had and mentioned the knots to him. He showed me how to use the hooked end of a cane to dig into the knot and pull down to put pressure on the knot. He said something about the neurotransmitters which have formed the knot need to be broken up and to just keep putting pressure on the knots until they break up. He said it’ll hurt like crazy right before the knot loosens (it does) but then feels so good when the knot breaks up a little (it does). I’ve been using this method a short time and been feeling a great relief already. I’m still going to look for an osteopath to look at it too, but I don’t have medical benefits right now to help pay for it so the cane will have to do for now. Try getting advice from a physiotherapist for any of your knots.

Amanda:
December 4th, 2006 at 5:55 pm

I’m 23 years old and I’ve had these knots in my shoulders for about the past ten years! The pain is constant and never goes away. Massages feel amazing, but once its over, the pain comes back in a few hours! My friends don’t understand the pain, so I hate nagging them for massages all of the time. Whenever someone gives me a massage, they’re always really weirded and grossed out by the knots because they aren’t normal. There are SO many of them. My friends say they feel like they’re massaging bubble wrap out of my shoulders. I plan on getting a deep tissue massage soon, and hopefully whoever does it will have some advice about these knots. I feel like I can never relax and the tension just sends more and more knots to my shoulders.

Becky:
December 9th, 2006 at 11:49 pm

I have knots in my shoulders, and behind my shoulder blades. I work in an office and do a lot of data entry, so I’m sure that is the culprit.

I go to the chiropractor 2x a month, and get a massage about once a month.
It feels good, but an hour is not even close to the amount of time it would take to get all the knots out. Even my massage therapist said that she could work on me for 2 hours, and it wouldn’t be enough!! ugh….
She also mentioned the tennis ball therapy, but I haven’t tried it yet.
She did tell me DO NOT use a golf ball. It is too hard, and will not help.

I use an ice pack, which feels good, and helps with inflamation.
I also get massages from my husband and a coworker. It seems a bunch of us ladies at work carry our stress in our shoulders. We all have knots in the same place.

I wish I could get permanent relief from my pain. I am so “locked up” right now. My neck, shoulders, and even my elbow & wrist hurt.
Hopefully someday I’ll be pain free.

Knots.

17 Responses to “Knots.”

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