Got A Knot

Understanding Muscle Pain

Trigger points or knots are spots in muscles where tense sensitive tissue causes discomfort, and if not treated, severe pain occurs. Often the affected area starts as a small sore area of muscle tightness, that when untreated, becomes increasingly painful including limiting range of motion. 

The cause of knots are not specific to one particular action or lack there of, but most often comes from over use or under use of a particular muscle group. In addition, poor posture from long periods of sitting or standing increase the chance of trigger points happening with more frequency. 

Myofascial Release: Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger points, or knots, are primarily found in the hips, neck, shoulders, legs and calves but can affect other areas of the body. There are many ways to address the discomforts of trigger points. Trigger point therapy consists of rubbing and pressing into the affected muscle.  One can start with a simple technique by passing down with a finger, primarily the thumbs, to locate and hold the affected area for 30-60 seconds.  Then repeating this action until the area feels relief. If the area is small, this technique is usually enough to become pain free.  If the area is tenacious, using ones fingers, then progressing into devices and foam rollers as the knot starts to soften is key.

Feel Better Methods

As active as most of the population is, especially in the middle of the current health and wellness boom, there has been a surplus of tools available to help in recovery.  The market has flooded us all with foam rollers, trigger point guns, and massage methods from both eastern and western medicine. 

Here at ActiveLife, it’s believed that recovery is not only the most important but absolutely necessary thing for the growth of any athlete or non-athlete to keep his or her health.  We focus on many different tools that release trigger points, have more than one function, are easy to use and affordable.  With this knowledge, it is our goal to provide as much information about our products so you can get the most out of your recovery process in your busy life.

Some of our personal favorites are: HighRoller, an adjustable elevation foam roller allowing you to roll hard to reach muscles i.e. adductors and IT Bands just to name a few (See image below). It’s larger to cover more surface area, compared to most other foam rollers on the market. Engineered for longevity and comfort,  the adjustable legs on the HighRoller keeps it stationary during trigger point release, so you can manipulate the intensity of the pressure you need as you roll. 

 HighRollers sister product is the HighBaller, a twin ball massager with adjustable, angled massage balls used for deep muscle myofascial release. The adjustable HighBaller system allows for use anywhere on the body. In addition to its unique features you are able to connect your HighBaller to a squat rack if you want to get deep into shoulder and back muscles without having to lay on your back. This allows you to control the pressure needed to release the adhesion in the muscle.  

 For a complete list on the many products ActiveLife provides, go to  click here to learn more.