Stress knot is just another name for that bad muscle pain which often crops up amidst work, during deadlines and in meetings. Too much work on the computer or a wrong posture can trigger these muscle knots which generate excess pain in your neck, back, arm or shoulder and can result in brain-blanked-out pain.
They can also be caused due to acute trauma, accidents, postural stress or strenuous exercise especially weight lifting. But at work these could affect you due to excessive pressure on your neck, back and shoulders.
Here are six simple techniques that will help ease the trouble.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Relax your muscles: Stop whatever you are doing for a while and change your position. If you’ve been sitting for too long, go take a walk. This will help the muscles to loosen up and ease the trigger point.
2. Anti-inflammatory: If the pain is too overpowering use an anti-inflammatory. You can also use an ice pack or a heating pad. Temperature variations may help ease the pain.
3. Correct posture: Sometimes sitting in the wrong way can harm your muscles so make sure you correct your posture. Avoid slumping on the office chair. Pay extra attention to your body mechanics so as to not trigger any stress knots.
4. Exercise: It’s important to get moving. Aerobics, yoga or any other kind of activity would be helpful in combating the pain. There are exercises that you can do on your work desk so try and squeeze in sometime to stretch your muscles and increase blood supply.
5. Eliminate stress: Stress or muscles knots also occur due to stress. Try to take hourly breaks from work, go out for a walk or have coffee and chat with colleagues.
6. Massage the trigger point: A gentle massage, on the spot that hurts the most, helps ease the stress in the muscles and is an effective technique for reducing knots. The pressure applied will also increase blood flow which helps relax the muscles. If the pain is bad, go to a masseuse.
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