Sadly massage is cursed with a new age image. Either that or it slides neatly between manicures, lattes and eye-brow threading. Unfortunately, if you buy into this view and furthermore it makes you want to run a mile in case all this self-care softens you up, then you are doing yourself a major disservice and denying yourself the benefits of an ancient form of medicine that can greatly benefit you. So forget Botox, forget facials…Let’s focus on what massage actually does.

Knots – What are they?

Most people who have experienced any kind of massage have heard the therapist talk about “knots” – something that massage can deal with specifically. The technical term for knots is “fibrous adhesions”. A fibrous adhesion is an area where muscle fibres have become stuck together. The fibres are glued together by muscle waste such as lactic acid. This waste is a by-product of holding or repeating the same movement day in day out, be it answering the phone or carrying a handbag. We are commonly advised to stretch and cool down after exercise in order to encourage the flushing of these toxins from the muscle but we never think to do it following our daily sustained activities. However, where this waste remains trapped in the tissue, knots are formed.

Other times, knots may be the result of a strain or muscle injury, sometimes so minor you may not remember it. In this instance the body has produced the glue sticking the muscle fibres together in order to repair the damaged muscle tissue. If left untreated this scar tissue remains in the body and can be felt decades after the injury.

So what’s the problem with knots?
Knots are bad for you for a number of reasons:

• They stop the proper movement of muscle fibres, which are designed to glide smoothly against each other. You’ll get a fair picture of how knots affect your muscles if you imagine the way in which cheese sticks pasta together in clumps. This will limit the flexibility of the muscle.

• They limit the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the area. This prevents proper use, growth and repair of muscle tissue. If you are trying to build muscle this is not good news.

• Over time, an area of muscle starved of nutrients and oxygen will start to waste. Weightlifters that do not take proper care of their muscles may reach a plateau with their training. Muscles that are badly knotted will cease to bulk effectively.

• Knots cause the surrounding muscle tissue to overwork. Your body tries to compensate by overusing the neighbouring area, so usually what started as one small knotted patch ends up as a larger network of knots that may feel like a bunch of grapes or eventually just one solid mass of tension. Overtime, your flexibility will become more and more limited making your body more vulnerable to strains and sprains simply because the muscle has less give.

• Likewise, where one muscle is not working effectively, then other muscles will kick in to compensate. This results in further wasting of the damaged muscle and overuse of compensating muscles resulting in pain, strains and further injury to them also.

With time, a limited range of movement will shorten a muscle causing it to pull on the joints and bones, affecting your posture and the whole way in which you use your body. Spinal misalignments that typically result from tense muscles pulling the spine out of place are very common source of discomfort, and in turn cause more severe muscle tension. This is a natural part of aging but by looking after yourself you can dramatically slow down the process and maintain fitness and the ability to compete for longer.

Now we’ve looked at what knots are, but how can massage help?

A good massage will directly target knotted areas. Stretching is a great preventative measure but once the knots are there, it can only cause the tissue surrounding a knot to stretch around it, without actually penetrating the knot itself. On the other hand, massage literally breaks up the knot, increasing blood flow to the area, which will enable the muscle tissue to start to repair itself by feeding the starved area with nutrients and oxygen. It encourages the flushing of toxins from the muscle and helps to untangle the muscle fibres to get them moving smoothly against each other again.

Ideally you shouldn’t wait until you have an injury or are in pain to receive massage, by which time physiotherapy will also be required to build wasted muscles and reset muscle patterns. Massage should be part of your routine for general self maintenance and injury prevention. Repeated actions are unavoidable in life but it is important to limit the chances of possible injuries. In terms of prevention, as explained above, tight knotted muscles have less give and are more likely tear.

If you want to be as fit, as strong and as flexible as you can for as long as you can, then it is important to avoid creating weaknesses in the body and to avoid setting yourself up for long term injuries. The fitter you are the less likely you are to sustain muscular injuries and the better shape your body will be in to cope with the injury when it does occur

Further proven benefits of massage:

• Reduces swelling
• Improves muscle suppleness
• Relaxes nervous system, reducing muscle spasms
• Relieves muscle fatigue and tired, stiff joints
• Increases circulation
• Encourages deeper and more efficient breathing
• Stimulates the immune system and detoxification
• Relaxes body and mind reducing stress
• Increases energy by invigorating body systems and reducing fatigue
• Lowers blood pressure
• Is great for energising pre-sports or calming the body and mind post sports
• Helps with insomnia