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Mr. Gordon J. Wallis in his post “Knot in a muscle’ raised very important topic and it seems that members expressed variety of opinions. Considering the importance of the subject I decided to open separate discussion and put everything in the scientific perspective.
There are two types of 'knots' you may experience in your practice.
First is called hypertonus and it is usually associated with active trigger point(s). The correctly used trigger point therapy protocol will be able to completely eliminate this abnormality. The second type of the 'knots' is called myogelosis and it is irreversible degeneration of the muscle fibers you feel like 'marbles' in the tissue.
The core of myogelosis will stay with your clients for the rest of the life if it is already formed. However by itself it is usually painless if there is no direct pressure applied to it. At the same time uncontrolled myogelosis is very painful and responsible for a lot of tension because core is direct cause of the neighboring hypertonuses to form around it. This drives your clients crazy.
By the way incorrectly applied Trigger Point Therapy in the form of senseless application of pressure without finding the Entrance into the Trigger Point, using Compass Technique, Stop and Go Approach etc. is directly responsible for the excessive damage of the muscle fibers in the area of hypertonus and later formation of the myogelosis there.
If readers would like to learn how hypertonus, trigger point and myogelosis form, how to differentiate and diagnose them as well as how to treat them correctly using scientifically sounded protocol of Trigger Point Therapy please read our three part article on Trigger Point Therapy in
March/April: http://scienceofmassage.com/dnn/som/journal/0903/toc.aspx
May/June: http://scienceofmassage.com/dnn/som/journal/0905/toc.aspx
July/August: http://scienceofmassage.com/dnn/som/journal/0907/toc.aspx
2009 issues of Journal of Massage Science. This article will answer ALL of your questions in every detail.
If you read the article and need any clarifications you may post your questions here and I will be happy to answer them.
Sincerely Dr. Ross Turchaninov
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Daniel. I am glad that you liked our discussions and agree in balance both the scientific knowledge and the intuitive nature of our work.more information about Dr. Ross and his works at his site www.aesculapbooks.com
Best wishes.
BorisDaniel Cohen said:
Boris could you give more bibliographic information on the Ross book? I am unable to find it. Also thank you for relating the story of the Gypsy woman. You illustrate well the need to balance both the scientific knowledge and the intuitive nature of our work.
Thank you.
Dr. Turchaninov I am finding your posts very informative abd as Boris said about my posts, I am in general agreement. If we are to do the best service to our clients we can not always avoid causing pain. Following the link provided by Boris I have ordered two of your books and look forward to reading in greater detail.
From some of Boris' description of Russian Medical Massage it appears to have some similarities to the Korean martial art therapy I have studied, Hwal Bup Do. Of course effective work often has similarities since we are working on the human body. Sharing the differences let's us evaluate and adapt our own work as is found relevant. I believe we can never learn enough as there are always situations where something else may be needed.
I await the arrival of your books.
Dr. Ross Turchaninov said:
It is completely correct that palpatory skills are very important for any practitioner. However there are much more tools the practitioner may use. The pain itself is very important diagnostic as well as treatment tool. Thus during let say trigger point therapy (TPT) the practitioner must activate pain receptors while applying pressure but he or she must do it correctly. The first critical step in successful elimination of trigger point is elimination of the condition of hyperirritability of pain receptors or in other words calm receptors down. As long as this condition remains the patient will resist treatment and it makes it longer and less successful. The restoration of the normal threshold of pain receptors activation and elimination of hyperirritability require careful 'playing' with these receptors while working in the affected area. The fluctuation in pressure, electric vibration, observation of patient reactions, evaluation of palpatory information, activation of central control trigger etc. allows to achieve stable clinical results quickly.
In regard to 'good massage suppose to feel good' concept. It is completely correct when the practitioner deals with healthy clients or stress accumulation. At the same time for the patient with chronic (sometimes for years) pain as a result of mistreated somatic condition the 'feels good approach' far from enough. For those clients even moderate application of pressure is very painful procedure. At the same time the restoration of the normal threshold of pain receptors is a first must component and unfortunately pain receptors never 'happy' about it especially at the beginning. The practitioner's job is to explain to the patient all details of the therapy before it starts.
Dr Ross Turchaninov
Dear Daniel
Thank you for e-mail. I am really glad that you found my posts helpful. I hope that you will like books as well. I tried to accumulate as much as possible theoretical and clinical information under one roof. Also be sure to visit www.scienceofmassage.com where you may read many important publications in the Journal of Massage Science and see protocols from the Volume I in the video format in the Video Library.
Sincerely Dr. Ross Turchaninov
Hi Gordon.usually hypertonus not bulging to the point that one can feel like"knots".however usually when at the time of examination you pressing a bit on the higher resting tone muscles,they like rigid and do not really pushing back. it is sometime difficult to feel it under fingers.But because in most cases hypertonus producing pains in certain human body segment as well associated with active trigger points it is not difficult for us to define area, to mobilize it correctly as well to detect pinpoint localization of higher intensity of pain and to address it by appropriate compression as it proposed in article. at the time myogelosis and other new formations are bulging and can be detected by fingers, As I stated in my previous post it is contraindicated to compress intensively against it.I hope everyone will agree this is not so complicated. I would say to work designed step-by-step protocol it even easier.
Best wishes.
Boris
Best wishes.
Boris
Gordon J. Wallis said:
Other therapists tell me they can feel knots...but when I ask them What a Jump sign is,, or a Local Twitch Response. They don't know.
Hi Dr Ross.
To all what you have said I would like to add that often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.
Best wishes.
Boris
Hi Gary.
you are saying:"When pressed, they scoot away a quarter inch."it is difficult for me to understand on what phenomenon we are talking about therefore cannot reply, but using the opportunity and given to the importance would like to repeat:"
often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.Best wishes.
Boris
Gary W Addis said:
Boris, what I'm referring to is not bulging, but sorta like a mobile mouse beneath, or in muscle, not bulging above skin. When pressed, they scoot away a quarter inch.
Boris Prilutsky said:
Hi Dr Ross.
To all what you have said I would like to add that often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.
Best wishes.
Boris
I find these in many bodies I've worked on, incl my fellow students--and they in turn find them on me. They are about the size of a small person's fingernail or smaller, they roll around even before pressure is applied. Light effleurage can reveal them if the practitioner is paying attention. When pressed, they usually don't elicit pain--the mobile ones I'm talking about. Others of about the same size and density do feel somewhat tender, but the mobile one don't. If pressed lightly, after a few seconds they scoot away just enough to escape the pressure. In such cases i follow the mvmt but apply even less pressure to either side and slightly on the spot itself and after a minute or so it often dissolves.
The otehr kind I mentioned are not like bumps or knots at all, but along the length of a muscle, usually nearing its junction with other muscles. When I feel it begin to move I lighten pressure and stay right there till it flattens and relaxes, usually a couple of minutes. Before I learned to slow down and there was movement of the strand, the clients always reported that although he could feel the "jump", it wasn't painful.
Boris Prilutsky said:
Hi Gary.
you are saying:"When pressed, they scoot away a quarter inch."it is difficult for me to understand on what phenomenon we are talking about therefore cannot reply, but using the opportunity and given to the importance would like to repeat:"
often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.
Best wishes.
Boris
Gary W Addis said:Boris, what I'm referring to is not bulging, but sorta like a mobile mouse beneath, or in muscle, not bulging above skin. When pressed, they scoot away a quarter inch.
Boris Prilutsky said:
Hi Dr Ross.
To all what you have said I would like to add that often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.
Best wishes.
Boris
Gary Ive never felt or worried or noticed anything like that before? So? There's all kinds of things that move and squish out of the way when you massage..All I care about is that the massage feels really good..And if we come across a sore spot, I eliminate it in good way.
s
Gary W Addis said:
I find these in many bodies I've worked on, incl my fellow students--and they in turn find them on me. They are about the size of a small person's fingernail or smaller, they roll around even before pressure is applied. Light effleurage can reveal them if the practitioner is paying attention. When pressed, they usually don't elicit pain--the mobile ones I'm talking about. Others of about the same size and density do feel somewhat tender, but the mobile one don't. If pressed lightly, after a few seconds they scoot away just enough to escape the pressure. In such cases i follow the mvmt but apply even less pressure to either side and slightly on the spot itself and after a minute or so it often dissolves.
The otehr kind I mentioned are not like bumps or knots at all, but along the length of a muscle, usually nearing its junction with other muscles. When I feel it begin to move I lighten pressure and stay right there till it flattens and relaxes, usually a couple of minutes. Before I learned to slow down and there was movement of the strand, the clients always reported that although he could feel the "jump", it wasn't painful.
Boris Prilutsky said:
Hi Gary.
you are saying:"When pressed, they scoot away a quarter inch."it is difficult for me to understand on what phenomenon we are talking about therefore cannot reply, but using the opportunity and given to the importance would like to repeat:"
often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.
Best wishes.
Boris
Gary W Addis said:Boris, what I'm referring to is not bulging, but sorta like a mobile mouse beneath, or in muscle, not bulging above skin. When pressed, they scoot away a quarter inch.
Boris Prilutsky said:Hi Dr Ross.
To all what you have said I would like to add that often MTs proposing “diagnosis”: “you having muscle knots “ and “let me help you get rid of it”. Very often this kind of treatment and up with vigorous pressure on so called “muscle knots”. In most cases this “muscle knots “ is a new formations that of course bulging and therefore one can feel it under fingers. Just using the opportunity would like to remind to everyone that this is contraindicated to press against any new formations that of course bulging including but not limited to lipomas, any other tumors, cystic formation etc. let's keep in mind if one will decide to press against mentioned above formations one can cause irreversible as well very significant damages.
Best wishes.
Boris
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