How to treat a muscle knot

Firstly, start treating muscle pain and knots early, either by seeing a massage therapist or by treating it at home.

Heat: 

Tight muscles usually have compromised circulation, which means that a little less blood, with it's nutrients and oxygen, reaches the area. It also means that the lymphatic system does not remove waste products from the area as well as it should do. By applying heat to the area, the circulation is improved, speeding up healing time. (Remember: Don't leave a heating pad on for longer than 10 min, beware of overheating the heating pad, and if you have been told to avoid hot baths or showers then consult your doctor before using a heating pad)

Stretching:

Stretching will help the circulation in and around the muscle. As the contracted muscle fibres are lengthened and released temporarily, blood is allowed to reach the area. Stretching can also help retrain the muscle to move at full capacity again. (Remember: Bouncing while stretching is not safe and could put further strain on the muscles)

Pressure:

Pressure is great for releasing a tight muscle. The more frequently you press on the muscle the quicker it will release. A professional massage is a great place to start, followed by home maintenance. Early intervention is important as the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to release.

Water:

We're always being told to drink more water, but muscles really do need lots water. Being dehydrated means the muscles don't work at their optimum, and they have less ability to recover. Water is also important to hold off any recurrences after the problem has been resolved.

Repetition:

The more a muscle knot is released the easier it gets. Over time, if treatment is repeated every time a knot recurs, it will take less time and be less painful to release. It's impossible to completely eliminate the occurrence of knots, even the fittest person gets them, but it doesn't have to be a long and difficult process to get rid of them.

Muscle knots are a common problem, which can be treated effectively at home or by a therapist. The key is to consistently treat them when they occur, and you will find that this problem doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive to deal with.