Why do muscles “knot” and how does a massage help them un-knot?
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I have a Master’s in Rehab Therapy and vaguely remember the physiology regarding this mechanism, which is called the Inverse Stretch Reflex which involve Golgi Tendon Organs (GTOs).
**”[GTO] lies in series with skeletal muscle fibres and therefore discharges during passive stretching of the muscle as well as when the tendon is stretched by the contraction of the muscle.”**
**”A reflex action mediated by the Golgi tendon organs that is called the inverse stretch reflex. When the organs are stimulated by a prolonged stretch they cause the stretched muscle to relax.”**
Source: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Golgi_Tendon_Organ#:~:text=A%20reflex%20action%20mediated%20by,the%20stretched%20muscle%20to%20relax.
TL;DR: muscle is sore, massage muscle, GTOs send signals, muscle relaxes
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