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With their fingertips they can feel the muscle knots and even massage them away, some masseurs promise. And many clinics do a short job of recurring muscle knots with “dry-needling” and “ultrasound” treatments, their satisfied clients agree. But there are also scientists who doubt the very existence of “trigger points”, as muscle knots are also called. The world of muscle knots is confusing, that’s for sure.
The question is what exactly the buttons are
Experts with undeniable knowledge of the human body have fought over virtually every detail for years. What exactly are muscle knots. How they arise. Because they hurt. Or pieces of fabric literal tangled, or if it is just “neurovascular blocks”. In fact, nobody really knows.
Explanation 1: micro cramps
The most common claim is that there are “microcramps” – small pieces of muscle fiber that get stuck in the shortened and taut position. This creates thickening that blocks healthy blood flow. The consequence? Waste materials accumulate. Nerve cells send out a pain signal. The surrounding tissue will compensate for tension and also become stiff.
Where does the cramp come from?
Okay, but it’s not clear in the first place why these cramps arise. There is, of course, no shortage of theories. There is talk of the ‘energy crisis’. Our muscles not only need some energy (ATP) to contract, but also to relax again. If the supply of energy blocks is locally depleted due to long-term cramped posture, the muscle continues to tense in anticipation of the “let go!” signal. But due to the blockage that has occurred, that signal does not come.
Explanation 2: Loss of calcium
An alternative explanation states that when muscle fibers are overloaded, for example due to incorrect movement or prolonged poor posture, small sacs in the muscle cells tear. From this sarcoplasmic reticulum loses calcium. This also binds to the proteins that give the command to keep tightening a piece of muscle fiber and so things get stuck for a long time.
Explanation 3: dry “condoms”
Another theory focuses on “condoms” that surround muscle fibers. Muscles are made up of long fiber bundles. Each of these fibers is covered with a smooth, web-like connective tissue shaft. Some kind of condom. You’ve probably seen how smart wizards smoothly slide two stacks of playing cards into a thicker pile. Pretty much the same thing happens when you squeeze your biceps or other muscles – they slide over each other in a thick, shorter, firmer mass. But if you stretch a muscle for too long, this connective tissue can dry out in places. The condom becomes rough and therefore pieces of muscle fiber can no longer slide back into their relaxed position. Things literally get messed up.
Does the button exist?
It all sounds quite plausible. However, scientific research has not yet been able to provide a definitive answer on the true nature of muscle knots. Typical is the study conducted by physiologist Fred Wolfe (American College of Rheumatology) in 1992. He asked four “trigger point” experts to find muscle knots in patients and non-patients. They couldn’t agree on who the real patients were and where the trigger points would be.
The masseur is not a charlatan yet
This knot of confusion doesn’t mean masseurs are charlatans. Because whether it is a blockage, a calcium overdose, an energy crisis, a waste problem, a rough condom or a real tissue knot, there is no doubt that deep tissue stimulation, for example through massages, seems to be able to solve the problem. So you can still get rid of muscle knots, whether they exist or not.
