how do i?

[thunderstorm_19]

work out knots in my shoulders?? my right shoulder hurts.

[Katiekat]

You and me both! I always have knots in my shoulders...combination bad posture and stress. My solution is massage, but it can be expensive...if you haven't ever had a professional massage, I recommend it -- if that's something you think you'd like. In KS, 60 minutes is usually about $60, depending on where you go. I have an appointment to get one tomorrow!

If you're looking for something cheaper, a massage therapist told me once to get a tennis ball. Put the ball on the floor, then lay down on it, putting the ball against your shoulder where the knot is. Then push against the ball, kinda moving it around. He said this helps work knots out.

Good luck!

[pixelady]

Assuming that this is a tension problem or something that was caused by posture:

1) Things you can actually do to directly help:
A "knot" in a muscle is an area of tension that can be caused by many things. Usually these are called "adhesions"-areas where the tissues are bunched up or stuck together. Creating warmth in the area and the areas around it is the best way to get started in breaking these up.

Try shoulder "shrugs", rotations, arm circles, any range of motion that you can do yourself to help loosen up the muscles. Don't force anything, just move.

See if you can get someone to rub the area for you. Rubbing all around the knot in a gliding motion. Start off with light strokes, then go deeper and slower. The area around the knot should start to feel warmer and maybe get pink. This is hyperemia, or increased bloodflow.

It will likely be a pretty tender area, but you can work it out using "friction". This is where you place your fingers over the area and press down. You want to move the tissue under the skin, not just the skin. Move your fingers in a circular motion, horizontal motion, or verticle motion. If it gets to be too much, move back to the stroking and go back to the friction after a bit. This is the best way to break up muscle adhesions.

If you have a shower massager, aim it towards the area and put it on pulse with hot (not too hot) water. Keep it on the area and stretch gently like you did before.

Tiger Balm, Ben Gay, Icy Hot and anything else that gets warm will help in a pinch, but it probably won't fix the problem.

2) Things to prevent this:

Be aware of your posture. If you get stressed out, take a few moments to breath deeply and release the tension. Make sure that you are sitting ergonomically - your chair is set up properly, your computer monitor is directly in front of you so you don't have to move your head out of a neutral position to see it... yadda yadda yadda. Don't hold yourself in one position all day (I do shoulder shrugs and such all the time at work). Don't cradle phone in between your face and neck, don't carry a bookbag or purse that's to heavy... you get the idea. Be aware of your body.

(Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. For all you know, I could be pulling all this out of my arse so use your best judgement and don't sue me. Lol. Actually, I'm a massage student so I do know somewhat what I'm talking about. I too would recommend seeing a therapist. Make sure you tell them what's bothering you and request specific work on that area, although full-body relaxation (Swedish, usually) massages are wonderful as well.)

Email me if you have any questions: pixelady@pixelady.com

[Thori]

Most people seem to have tight shoulders and also right between the shoulder blades are owie too.  Definately look at how you're sitting at the computer and if your head and/or shoulders are hunched forward.  Stick out your chest, pull your shoulders back and see if that relases any tension and feels better .. if so *heh* check your posture every 20 minutes or so and do some stretching and/or excercise.

Sit in a chair and see if you can get someone to place the palm of their hand, or the edge of it along where the owie is and all they have to do is press down and hold it for a while, that'll be less strenous for them.  If you can get them to dig in their fingers like Pixelady described, that'd be really good too =)

Roll the tennis ball up and down between your shoulder blades too, I find that area is usually tight on most people (I am a Chiropractic intern and do part time at a high volumn office) - alternatively, you can place the ball against the wall and roll it up and down your back by bending your knees and rising.  Put as much pressure as you can handle because you really do need to get rid of the scar tissue and adhesions inside your muscle fibers.

Thori <~ likes deep tissue muscle work .. whyfor the women patients seem to handle pain better than men? http://nervousness.org/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[gryhare]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Thori @ Oct. 23 2002,12:56)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Thori <~ likes deep tissue muscle work .. whyfor the women patients seem to handle pain better than men? http://nervousness.org/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif[/b][/quote]
Because men can't handle pain. It's that simple. And they refuse to believe that they are actually wimps. That's why cramps are "all in your head" and labor pains aren't very effectively dealt with either.

On the other hand, I think a severe toothache is considerably more painful than childbirth anyway.

And if men had to give birth.... I'd pay money [lots and lots of it!] to see that.... hehehe!

I'm evil.

Kim

p.s. Thanks for the tips on the shoulder stuff. I wish someone had been around to tell me some of this 25 years ago. Sigh.

[pixelady]

Very cool Thori- I've thought about going into chiropractic after I do massage for a while. That or Oriental Medicine. There's a good school in my area for it that has an awesome 5-year program and you walk out with a Master's degree. I can't decide. I want to heal, but I hate the idea of being a "doctor" and working with sick people. I want to prevent being sick and help with injuries. *sighs*

I'm looking into getting one of the chair-back massagers from Homedics. They cover the entire chairback and seat and have lots of different modes. An officemate has one and they are nice. They sound *loud* when you're on them, but you can't hear it from far away. Yummy. I love massages.

I think women can handle pain more because we (I, at least) can embrace it better than men, we don't deny the power of pain. If a little boy has a skinned knee, we expect him to buck up and deal with it a lot of faster than a little girl. Women cry about it, get it out and move on. Men tend to hold it in and ignore it. Hrm. Maybe not. I have to go proofread a buyers guide now. *shudder* Ahh... publishing. *shakes head*

[Katiekat]

I also meant to tell you about a stretch that feels really good for tense necks & shoulders:

1. Stand up straight.
2. Tilt your head to the left, like you're trying to touch your left ear to your left shoulder. Go as far as you can.
3. Keeping your head tilted, raise your right arm until it's shoulder-high. Keep your hand palm down. You should be able to feel the stretch in your arm & neck muscles.
Switch sides to stretch other arm.

to increase the stretch, bend your wrist up, so that your hand is now palm out.

I hope that description makes sense...it was harder to explain verbally than I thought!

http://nervousness.org/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Mermaid]

those microwaveable wheat bags are good.. if you get the temperature right. Also hot water bottles if you are sitting or lying in bed.